You Are Not Alone
by mabadger
Summary: The Doctor is sad. The Ponds are gone and soon River will be too, but not before he takes her on the biggest adventure of her life. In his darkest hour the Doctor remembers the last words of the Face of Boe: "You are not alone."
1. Beginnings

_Hello kind reader! Here is a taster for my new story I'm currently writing. Sorry for any time gaps between chapters, I've got school and stuff taking up most of my precious time. Hope you enjoy!_

_*Doctor Who belongs to Mister Moffat and the BBC*_

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The Doctor was sad - well, sadder than usual. He sat alone in the TARDIS console room, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. He'd done it again; lost a companion. The Girl Who Waited and The Last Centurion Amy and Rory, the Doctor's best friends, were gone. They were zapped back to 1930's New York by a lone Weeping Angel and this time, the Doctor couldn't save them.

And it broke his hearts.

Why them? It seemed like everything was going to be okay, they were going to go back to the TARDIS and be on their way, away from Manhattan and the angels that inhabited it. The Doctor was on a high; the Ponds were alive, River was safe, the TARDIS was ready to whisk them away to wherever he pleased, and the angels were gone. Broken by the paradox that Rory and Amy created when they jumped off the building, or so he thought. Of course there was a survivor; a lone angel who decided that it was their responsibility to ruin the Doctor's day. Now his two best friends in the whole entire universe were lost and alone, and just out of the Doctor's reach.

But he knew they were okay, Amy said so in the afterword of River's book. They would live a long, happy life together in New York. Rory would probably become a celebrated doctor with his knowledge of future medicine, and Amy might be an author, writing about her many adventures with her raggedy man. Perhaps they would adopt, have a child that they would love and cherish. That child would always have the best bedtime stories; stories about his Mum and his Roman Dad, and their greatest friend, the madman with a box.

The Doctor knew that they would have happy lives – the thing that really broke his heart was the fact that he wouldn't be a part of them.

"Sweetie?" a voice behind him said and he jumped when he felt soft hands on his neck. "It's not healthy to sit out here all night brooding."

He looked up into the worried, green eyes of his wife, River Song, and his gaze softened, but not before she saw the angry glint in his hazel ones. She sighed and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"You blame yourself, don't you?" she said. It was less of a question and more of a statement. Of course the Doctor blamed himself – isn't that what he always did?

"I could have stopped it happening," he muttered sadly as he took River's hand in his. "I – I'm sorry River. They were your parents."

"They're not dead, Doctor, just unable to see us anymore."

"Yes, well. You best get to writing your book," he said and nodded over to where his jacket was hanging off the coat rack by the door, "The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery" left in one of its inside pockets.

"I should really do that soon. I need to organize a house too, seeing as I'm not in Stormcage anymore," she said and the Doctor's face fell slightly. "I won't be gone long, but you know I can't stay in the TARDIS with you forever. Our time streams are too..."

"Timey-wimey," the Doctor finished with a sad smile as he kissed her on the forehead. "I suppose you're a free woman now. You can do whatever you want."

"And being in prison stopped me from doing that before?" she questioned dangerously, daring the Doctor to agree.

"Of course not, dear," he laughed for the first time in days. It gave River hope that when she had to leave, the Doctor would be able to pull through on his own and not drown in self-hate. But for the next few weeks at least, she would stay with him and the TARDIS, fighting aliens and thwarting evil plans. After all, there was still a lot of running to do.

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_Please review if you have the time. They make me super happy!_


	2. Hunter

_ Chapter 2 is here! It might be a little while until the next chapter but I'll try my hardest to get one up once a week. Hope you enjoy!_

_*Doctor Who belongs to the BBC, but Hunter's all mine*_

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"_River_!"

His angry cry reverberated around the corridor, almost drowned out by the sounds of gun shots and the frequent explosions. She turned with a flirty smile on her face, a gun aimed at the chest of the man behind her.

"Hello Sweetie," she winked. "Nice of you to join us."

River and her captive watched as the Doctor stalked down the hallway, his coat tails flying out behind him and a menacing expression on his face. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver as he walked and pointed it at her blaster. She groaned when it sparked and the lights on it flickered and died.

"Must you ruin all the fun?"

"Must you go around shooting everybody?" he growled and she rolled her eyes.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," he retorted like usual with a smug smile on his face. "Anyway, there's more then one way to make a man talk."

The man in question looked on with a confused expression on his face. Who were these strange people? Who were they to just walk up to him and throw around seemingly empty threats? They looked like they were party-goers, one of the many people attending the ball tonight, by the way they were dressed: the flirtatious blonde woman in a long, dark blue dress that cut down to her waist at the back, and the tall, thin man in a top hat and tails. There was a dangerous shine in the man's eyes that unsettled him. He could sense that this was not a situation that he was going to get out of easily.

"So, what's your name, sir?" the Doctor asked politely as he turned his cold eyes on the mystery man. "And don't even _think_ about lying."

He stayed silent, staring at the Doctor and River with blank eyes. The Doctor looked him up and down, did a quick scan with his sonic and nodded a few times, tapping the screwdriver on his chin.

"Well, what do you say River? Who is he?"

"I don't know sweetie. I noticed him standing in a shady spot in the corner when you were talking to Liz 10. He spoke into some sort of radio and then the explosions started. I followed him out of the ballroom and down this corridor, where I cornered him and then you stormed in."

"Yes, yes. Sounds about right. The question is though, who was he talking to?"

"Someone who wanted Liz dead? Is he an alien?"

"He's a robot. Sort of like a space cyborg made to look like a human. He can blend in to a crowd, sneak into venues, detonate bombs without anyone realising what he's doing. We're not getting any questions out of him; he's not programed to answer them."

"Then where's the person who programmed him?"

"That's what we're going to find out," the Doctor finished, twin excited smiles spreading across his and River's faces. It had been a long time since they'd had an adventure. That night was meant to be something quiet – a date – but of course, nothing ever stays quiet with the Doctor around.

They both turned back to the robot-made-to-look-like-a-human behind them and the Doctor once again whipped out his sonic screwdriver, and pointed it at the man's head, ignoring his small cry of protest. The whole face swung open, revealing an array of wires and flashing lights where skin and flesh would normally be. River walked forward, examined the inner-workings of the robot's head, and then forced her hand in between the delicate maze of wires. She felt around for a moment before pulling out a small, metal cube with several multicoloured cables trailing behind it. She held it up for her husband to see.

"This seems to be what we're looking for," River said as he took it from her hands.

"Looks like it's the device they're using to send signals to our friend here," he says, studying the little cube from different angles. River reached for the scanner in her pocket.

"Let me just see what sort of alien-tech this –," but before she could finish the Doctor brought the cube to his mouth and licked it. He suddenly screwed up his face like he'd just eaten a lemon, and attempted to wipe the foul taste off his tongue.

"That was… different," he coughed out and handed the box back to River. She laughed at him and shook her head, scanning over the cube.

"Says it's technology from a planet called –"

"Juntask 12," the Doctor finished.

"Show off," she muttered, but he just smiled smugly and continued.

"Barren place often used as a hideout for thieves or space pirates. They've got quite the roaring trade for black market weapons, jewelery, exotic animals. There's one band of theives in particular, called the Juska, who are known for not doing their own dirty work. They steal these humanoid-robots and program them to blow up buildings and kill people while the Juska swoop in and steal the valuables of the distracted victims."

"Quick and effective," River remarked, smiling flirtily. "I like them."

"Well I don't."

"That doesn't affect me."

"It will if you get in the way," he laughed and kissed her on the cheek before setting off down the hallway, his coat tails flapping in the breeze coming from the large hole in the wall.

"What are you – where are you going?" she yelled after him, then sighed in frustration when he turned the corner with a wink in her direction. River hitched up the skirt of her dress and set off after him, leaving the motionless body of the robot behind her.

After chasing after him down several corridors River finally gave up. That man could run fast. Instead, she pulled out her scanner and held it in front of her, scanning whatever place the Doctor was heading towards. It looked like a ship, most definitely the one belonging to whatever space pirates had come to raid Liz 10's palace.

River paused for a moment. She could her the faint noise of footsteps behind her, moving away from her as whoever it was made their way towards the Queen's chambers. She glanced once more at her scanner and smiled. The Doctor would be fine on his own, right? He wouldn't mind if she organised an inpromptu welcome party for the pirates.

Without really thinking anything through, River turned around and ran after the retreating footsteps of the theives, quickly kicking off her heels as she went. As she ran, she noticed the sudden eery silence. There were no gun-shots, no explosions, no screaming and yelling, and, maybe most importantly, there were no people. River encountered no one as she ran down corridor after corridor, nothing to be heard but the soles of her bare feet striking against the cold, marble floor. It made her slightly worried as her thoughts moved to the Doctor. Was he the reason the explosions had been silenced? Had he stopped them? Or had they captured him and were preparing to fly away right now, a caged Timelord ready to be sold on the black market?

River laughed and dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into her head. A caged Timelord? Or more specifically, a caged Doctor? The Doctor was like a handfull of sand; the more you try to hold on, the quicker he escapes your grip. River never worried that much about her husband's safety on their adventures, she worried more about the safety of the people that got in his way. _Expecially_ when he was angry.

When the Doctor was angry there was almost nothing River could do. When the Doctor was angry nobody could get in his way. They'd just become another tree, swept aside by the Oncoming Storm. When he was angry, River saw in her husband's eyes the man that Kovarian had told her about. He was like fire and ice and rage. He wasn't River's clever brilliant Doctor; he was the lonely god, the destroyer of worlds.

But maybe that's why River loved him, and why he loved her. They'd both done bad things in their pasts, they'd both killed good people, they both had nightmares about the faces of their lost loved ones, and they both had flaws. _River and the Doctor_. They needed each other.

River rounded the corner and skidded to a halt, quickly composing herself before strolling into the Queen's chambers. It was a large, round room with a high ceiling, a glittering chandeleir hanging over the huge bed in the centre. The walls were made of a creamy sandstone, the floor a checkered pattern of white and black marble tiles. Tapestries covered almost every inch of the walls, woven with rich colours of red and gold. A glass door opened up onto a large balcony overlooking the large courtyard below, now a scene of destruction with bricks and bodies strewn around the place, flags that had previously adorned the walls fallen to the ground, draped over collapsed walls or on fire.

A messy-haired man stood with his back to her on the balcony, leaning against the railing and surveying the desolate scene below. She almost mistook him for the Doctor, he was the same height, had the same floppy, brown hair, he even stood the same way the Doctor did, but she knew it wasn't him. He wore different clothes – black dress pants, a white button-up shirt under a dark red waistcoat – but seemed to have the same sort of fashion sense, judging by the black bowtie around his neck. River cleared her throat and the man turned his stormy green eyes on her.

"How now, Doctor Song," he said as a broad grin spread across his handsome features. How this seemingly unfamiliar man knew her name, River had no idea.

"It's Professor, thankyou," she replied curtly, a flirty smile of her own spreading across her face. "Beautiful night for a theft, don't you think?"

"Apparently _they_ thought so," the mystery man replied as he nodded to the overly luxurious bed. River noticed for the first time the bodies of three raggedly dressed men laid across the covers, face down. They looked as though they were sleeping, with no visible signs of bodily harm visible, so she presumed they were unconscious. River turned her eyes back to the man, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Stunned," he said, answering her unsaid query. She took a slow step away from him when he drew the gun from his belt, and pulled out her own. He simply laughed and tossed his weapon to her, which she caught reflexively. "I'm not going to hurt you ma'am. Wouldn't want to disappoint my old man."

"Who are you?" questioned River. "How do you know my name?"

He smirked at her in an infuriatingly Doctor-ish way and turned his back on her.

"I returned the things they stole from the Queen," he said, the wind from outside blowing his hair around his face. "I only came for them."

"What do you mean by you '_only came for them_'?"

"I was paid to find them, and them only."

"What are you, some kind of assassin?"

"You could say that, I guess," he muttered. "I don't kill people though."

"You're not going to tell me your name are you?" River abruptly changed the subject, hoping to catch the strange man offguard. He gave his head a small shake and laughed.

"Nope," and once again he gave her a superior grin that she was just itching to slap off his face.

"You remind me of someone," she said. "But I seriously doubt that you are who I think you are."

"And who do you think I am, Miss Pond?"

River stiffened suddenly and stared wide eyed at the man standing before her. How did he know her name? Her _real _name? Was he really… could he really be…

"Well well well," said a familiar voice behind her. "What do we have here?"

She whipped around suddenly to look into the hazel eyes of her husband, and her heart rate immediately settled.

"Don't _do_ that!" she muttered angrily, hitting the Doctor on his arm.

"_Make me_," he murmured lowly, his breath dancing across River's neck. The man in front of him cleared his throat and the Doctor looked up, seemingly noticing him for the first time. The mysterious man looked back with a strangely hopeful expression on his face. "Have we met?"

His expression melted away to be replaced by one of disappointment. "Apparently not."

"What do they call you?"

The man paused and then exhaled slowly before replying. "The Hunter."

"That's a cool name," the Doctor replied excitingly. "Much cooler then lame old _Doctor_."

"Oh, so you'll tell him when _he_ asks," River huffed.

"I just have a more likable personality, dear," he joked and kissed her on the cheek.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," both the Doctor and the Hunter replied. They both stopped and the Doctor stared at him as he tried to avoid his gaze.

"Well, away from that subject," the Doctor muttered, still scrutinising Hunter. "Who stunned the pirates?"

"M-me," Hunter stammered and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Why?"

"I-I'm being paid big money to bring these guys to my employer. _Alive_, so don't you touch them."

"Do you only need these three?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Good," the Doctor ignored his question and gave him a humorless smile. Suddenly, the silence was ripped apart by the sound of another explosion, this one louder then the rest. River gasped and turned into her husband's chest as he buried his face in her curly hair. The walls rattled and a wave of heat swept over them from the still ajar balcony door. She didn't remove her face from his chest until the Doctor gave her a gentle squeeze, signalling the all-clear. Outside, almost everything was on fire. Shrapnel rained down from the sky and ashes blew into the Queen's room, giving everything a fine coating of grey dust.

"What was _that_?!" Hunter gasped, blinking away the green spots that danced in front of his eyes. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at his face and his vision cleared up.

"That was the Juska's escape plan," the Doctor answered simply, the angry glint in his eye returning.

"You blew up their ship?"

"Yep."

"So they're all dead?"

"Dead or stranded. Doesn't matter. They can't hurt anyone now." Hunter looked at him with a confused and slightly fearful expression on his face.

"Why would you do that?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm tired and old, and what I saw the Juska do to innocent people made me _very_ angry."

Hunter turned his eyes to River, staring at her like it was her fault. And suddenly, she realised it was. If she hadn't left the Doctor to his own devices and chased after the pirates, he might not have done this. She could have stopped him from killing so many people. I mean, sure they were bad people, thieves and murderers, but even they didn't deserve to die in such a way.

"Did they deserve it?" River almost whispered, looking up into her husband's cold eyes.

He didn't answer, simply looked back with his sad, old eyes as Hunter moved to check on his captives. River and the Doctor watched as the strange man pulled three pairs of handcuffs from a seemingly-too-small inside pocket of his waistcoat, and attatched them to the wrists of each of the pirates. Hunter cast a surreptitous glance at the couple, then looked away with a sad sigh. He seemed to have noticed the Doctor's uncharacteristic silence like River. Though, how the man knew that the Doctor wasn't usually quiet, River didn't know. She had a feeling Hunter was from their future, which would explain his disapointment when the Doctor didn't know him. She knew how it felt when you meet someone in the wrong order.

"D-Doctor?" Hunter asked tentatively, bringing the Doctor out of his jumbled thoughts. "Could you erm… possibly give me a lift? I've got a v-vortex manipulator but I can't really use it to take these guys with me."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and gave a confused smile. "Why would I help you? I don't even know what you are."

"I-I told you, my name's –"

"Not _who_. _What_ are you."

River raised an eyebrow at the Doctor's odd question. "Well, he looks like a human to me. A human with time-travelling technology, but a human all the same."

"Yes, he _looks_ human, but then again so do I."

"So what do you say he is, Mr Genius?"

The Doctor ignored her sarcasm and continued to squint at Hunter, who fidgeted uncomfortably. "I feel like I should know, but… I just can't put my finger on it."

"You don't know? That's new," River smirked.

"Yeah, isn't it exciting?" her husband said giddily like a young boy discovering where his parents were hiding his Christmas presents. He then turned his gaze back to Hunter, who relaxed visibly on seeing the friendly smile playing across the Doctor's face. "I suppose we can give you a lift, Hunter my good man. Where are you heading?"

"Nebula, November 26th 8157 at about erm… 4pm?"

"Ah, Nebula." The Doctor smiled as though he was remembering fond memories. "Haven't been there in a while. Lovely planet really, though you humans aren't very creative at naming things."

"Nebula?" River questioned. "Isn't that just a big cloud of dust in space?"

"Yes, but they are also known for creating stars. They're basically big star factories that look pretty. Shows how full of themselves the humans are for naming their new planet after one."

"How exactly?" Hunter laughed at the Doctor's amusement with humans and their habits.

"Well, they're basically saying that they have a great big planet that looks pretty and everyone born there is a star," he said, smiling fondly. "You humans think you're the best race in the universe."

"Oh but we are, aren't we?" River laughed and her husband smirked at her.

"You're only half human and you're still so _full_ of yourself."

"_You love it_."

"Of course I do. Probably shouldn't, but I do."

Hunter rolled his eyes and turned away from the couple, leaving them to flirt for a minute while he attended to his captives. He picked one of them up with a grunt and slung him over his shoulder in a fireman's grip, then turned to the other two with an annoyed look on his face. He unceremoniously dumped the man back onto the bed next to his comrades. _This_ was going to take more than one trip.

"Don't worry about them, I'll go grab the TARDIS," the Doctor said after looking up from his wife.

"Maybe you should leave that to me, sweetie," she said, smiling as she straightened his bowtie. "I don't fancy waiting three months with four strange men, even with Hunter being the charm I'm sure he is."

"Hey!" he cried indignantly. "I'm not as bad as I used to be. Give me a few years and I'll be on time every time!"

"Yes, but still…"

"Fine," he grumbled. "Go get the TARDIS. We'll be right here."

"Be back soon, sweetie." River gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a curt nod to Hunter before heading back out into the hallway, the ceiling above her looking much less sturdy than before.

Hunter immediately sat down on the edge of the bed and started to fiddle with his fingers, much like the Doctor did when he was nervous. The Doctor smiled. Something about this strange man made him want to trust him, made him want to believe all the things that he had told them. Maybe it was because he reminded the Doctor so much of himself, or maybe it was the bowtie. He liked people who wore bowties.

"Who is it that you're delivering these theives to?" he asked as he plopped himself down on the large armchair by the door. Hunter looked up and shrugged.

"Just some guy. Apparently they killed his wife or something."

"How do people go about hiring you?"

"How do people get your attention?" Hunter replied simply. "I'm a wanderer. They tell some bar owner somewhere that they want to talk with me, and I go find them."

"Are you some sort of assassin?" the Doctor continued to question, honestly curious as to what this man's lifestyle was.

"Like I told River, I guess I am. I don't kill people though, my dad doesn't like violence," he added with a wry smile.

"Your dad sounds like a good man," he muttered. "Not enough people left that don't succumb to violence at any given time."

"You used to be like that," Hunter mumbled, a sad look on his face. "You always told me how much you hated violence."

"Oh, I do," he assured him, a humourless smile on his face. "Doesn't mean I don't turn to it occasionally. I'm sure you've killed a few people when you had to, doesn't matter what your dad thinks."

Hunter laughed darkly. "I try not to – I really do – but sometimes you just _have_ to kill."

"Survival of the fittest," the Doctor replied. "Your dad probably would have told you that when you got older. It's not the best thought to be putting in a child's head."

"I'm not a child –"

"How old are you?"

"22."

"Timelords aren't even considered teenagers until they're 90."

"Well, I'm not a T-timelord, am I?" Hunter said indignantly, stumbling slightly.

"Uh-huh."

"What's with all these personal questions anyway?" he mumbled grumpily. "You only met me five minutes ago."

"Fine, how about some easier questions," the Doctor laughed. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Gold," Hunter grinned. "Yours is blue, I presume?"

"You guessed correctly. Childhood friend?"

"A deaf boy called Harvey."

"You know sign language?"

"Obviously."

"Planet of origin?"

"Earth."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hunter's vortex manipulator on his right wrist. "What century?"

"21st," Hunter answered, then noticed where the Doctor was looking. "This was a birthday present."

"Right. When _is_ your birthday?"

"December 24th. I was born on Christman eve."

"Oh, I love Christmas! Wish my birthday was then."

"Yeah, when's _your_ birthday, Doctor?"

"It's been so long…" he murmured, a troubled expression crossing his face. "I've forgotten."

"You forgot you own birthday?"

"When you reach my age you stop caring when you grow up."

They continued this back-and-forth for a few minutes, their questions slowly becoming stranger and more trivial.

"Favourite Mozart piece?"

"Symphony No. 40. I was there when he wrote it. Great man, though a bit scatty at times."

"Favourite time of day?"

"Afternoon. Middle name?"

"Kazran."

"I knew a man named Kazran. He had a fondness for Christmas too."

"Yes, quite the coincidence. Least favourite food?"

"Pears."

"Blondes or brunettes."

The Doctor laughed. "Blondes obviously."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the TARDIS materialising outside the door and the Doctor's favourite blonde leaned in the doorway, a saucy smile on her face.

"You boys having fun?" River said as she walked into the room and sat herself down on the Doctor's lap, her arms snaking around his neck.

"I don't think I can ever not be," he laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, both of them once again forgetting that there was another person in the room. Hunter stood and crossed his arms.

"Are you going to help or not?" he asked, annoyed at their constant flirting.

"Of course I am, but erm… there's a large distraction sitting on me at the moment," the Doctor said, smiling brightly. River rolled her eyes and moved to disentangle herself from her husband, both of them standing up. Hunter smiled fondly at the two as the Doctor sneaked in a quick kiss on River's cheek before moving over to the three, still unconscious pirates. River shook her head in amazement as the two men picked up a pirate each and moved to the TARDIS. How two such thin, lanky men could pick up a full grown adult without any bothers, she had no idea.

She followed them into the TARDIS where they placed the theives on the floor, the Doctor turning around to pick up the other one as Hunter stopped to talk to her.

"I think I can trust you with this," River said with a smile as she handed him back his gun.

"Yeah, I haven't attempted to kill you yet so I must be trustworthy," he laughed and placed the weapon back in the holster on his belt. River studied his face for a moment, marvelling at how much his cheeky, crooked grin looked like the Doctor's.

"Are you and the Doctor related? He seems to trust you and he doesn't do that much."

"Nope, never seen him before in my life."

"That's a lie," the Doctor called from the console, randomly pressing buttons and pulling on levers.

"How do _you _know?" Hunter bristled indignantly, turning to look at him with his hands on his hips.

"Well, you were lying about the second part at least," he grinned back. River and Hunter stared back blankly as he looked at them, acting as though the answer was obvious. He sighed and explained slowly. "If we'd never met before, then you probably would have never been in the TARDIS. And yet here you are, in the TARDIS for the _supposed_ first time and not even marvelling at the fact that it's bigger on the inside. Also, you said earlier that I once told you I hated violence."

"Alright, fine. You got me," Hunter sighed, raising his hands in defeat. "I'm from your future."

"Why don't I ever meet people in the right order," the Doctor muttered, more to himself then River and Hunter.

"It's because you're a time-traveller, sweetie," River laughed. "And by the looks of it, Hunter is too."

"Yeah well, you spend a couple of centuries being the only time-traveller you know and you get used to it," he replied grumpily, flicking several switches on the console. River rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs, taking a seat as Hunter shut the TARDIS doors.

"Alright, back to business. Nebula, 82nd century?" the Doctor asked him as he punched in a series of numbers. "Hold on tight!"

He pulled a lever and the TARDIS was thrown into the time vortex. Hunter grabbed onto the railing in an attempt to keep himself upright as River and the Doctor danced around the console, pressing buttons, flicking switches and pulling levers. As usual, the Doctor focused on driving while River corrected his mistakes and tried to keep them stable. There was a huge, rumbling sound like thunder and the TARDIS shook tremulously.

"What's happening?" Hunter yelled over the sound of lightning crackling outside.

"Nebula has a particularly humid climate causing it to storm a lot!" the Doctor shouted. "The extremely cold climate causes a mass build up of ice crystals in the clouds making oodles of lightning!"

"How does that make lightning?"

"Magic!" River laughed as she spun around her husband on her merry dance around the console.

"Of course it's not," he huffed. "Lightning is a discharge of the build-up of static electricity that results from friction between the water molecules in a cloud and – okay, fine. It's _magic_!"

The TARDIS pitched to the side dangerously, throwing Hunter into the chair behind him. There was a thunk and a groan from the captured pirates as they rolled around on the floor. Soon enough, the time machine settled, the sound of the brakes being left on assaulted their ears as the TARDIS landed. River glared at her husband and he grinned back like a naughty child caught drawing on the walls.

"Did you _really_ have to?"

"Yep," he smiled and tapped her on the nose before running to the door. He swung it open and took a deep breath of afternoon air, a contented look on his handsome face. River joined her husband at the door and gazed in wonder at the scene in front of her.

They appeared to have landed in the middle of a wide valley surrounded by huge, snowcapped mountains that stretched high into the air above, their peaks reaching above the thick layer of clouds that blanketed the burnt orange sky. A carpet of soft blue-green grass spread out under their feet, the landscape dotted with patches of tiny purple flowers and the occasional silver-leaved tree. In the distance River could see a city skyline, shining gold and white in the lightning crackling in the sky above, soaring even higher than the mountains that surrounded it.

"Doctor," River murmured, a look of wonder on her face. "Is this Nebula?"

"Of course it is!" he replied as he ran out the door and fell down on the grass, lying on his back and staring up at the sky. "Would I take you to the wrong place? Wait no, don't answer that."

"It's so beautiful," she laughed and joined him on the soft ground, lying on her back and entwining her hand with his. As they watched the boiling clouds above them a futuristic-looking white aircraft soared through the sky over their heads.

"Look!" the Doctor raised their held hands to point at the ship heading towards the city in the distance. "Humans!"

"How many of them are here?" River asked.

"Not sure. Last time I came here the human colonies were only fifty years old with a population of about 10,000."

"Yeah, it's been a while," said Hunter as he lugged his last prisoner out of the TARDIS and dumped him on the ground. They'd started to regain consciousness, one of them attempting a getaway by crawling hastily away from Hunter. He stopped the man with a hand on the back of his collar, crouching down in front of him and staring him in the eye. "Where do you think you're going, little mate?"

He received no reply and River laughed. "He's using an old criminal technique: keep quiet and they might not think you did it."

"Well it's not working," the Doctor said as he stood up, turning back to the TARDIS parked a few metres away.

"Oh, are we leaving all ready?" River whined as her husband leant against the door frame. "We only just got here."

"We can come back another time, dear," he replied. "But first we have to go explain to Liz why half her palace has burnt to the ground. We only came to drop Hunter off."

"Well alright," she muttered as she stood and brushed herself off. "Goodbye Mr Hunter. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Proffessor," he grinned and inclined his head politely as River moved past her husband and back into the time machine.

"You'll be fine from here?" the Doctor questioned as Hunter checked over his prisoners, hitting one over the head roughly as he tried to escape again. He looked up into the kind, hazel eyes of his old friend and smiled.

"You've done more than enough, thank you Doctor."

"I'll be seeing you again, won't I?"

Hunter smirked at him in a very River-like fashion. "Spoilers."

"I've got enough of those to last a lifetime," he grumbled but shook Hunter's hand all the same.

And with that goodbye, the Doctor walked back into the TARDIS, the door shutting behind him. Hunter stood back and raised a hand in farewell as the time machine dematerialised, the wind blowing his messy hair around his face. He turned back to the pirates, a smile still present on his face as he whipped out his gun and stunned the one trying to escape, yet again.

"You never learn, do you?"

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_The Doctor said reviews are cool._


	3. House With the Blue Door

_ Good afternoon readers! Three chapters in three day, you guys are lucky :D_

_Not much happens in this chapter but it was necessary. Enjoy!_

_*Doctor Who isn't mine!*_

* * *

"_Doctor_! You better have a good explanation as to why half my bloody palace is blown up!"

The Doctor winced at the rage in Liz 10's voice as he and River stepped out of the TARDIS. The skeletal remains of the huge pirate-spaceship lay at the bottom of the enormous crater in front of them, the burnt ground around it still smoking. Spot fires has sprung up around them, burning away the remains of what had once been the castle gardens, now an ash-covered wasteland.

"Ah yes, about that," he muttered as he turned to look at the angry woman before him, her curly black hair pulled back in a messy bun and her red cape blowing around her in the wind. "Sorry. Some pirates and I had a bit of a misunderstanding-."

"Wait, this is _your_ fault!?"

"You probably shouldn't have mentioned that, sweetie," River whispered in his ear as the Queen pulled out her gun.

"They were killing innocent people Liz, _your_ people. It was the only way I could stop them."

"By blowing them up?"

"Yes. I-I'm sorry about your palace."

Liz sighed and put away her gun. She turned her eyes to River. "You couldn't have stopped him?"

"No," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "Nobody could have stopped him."

Both woman watched as the Doctor walked towards the edge of the crater, his head down. He crouched and picked up a very burnt set of handcuffs, before straightening up and throwing them as far as he could into the crater. He was angry again, River could see that, but no longer angry at the pirates. They were dead and gone now. He was angry at himself. Angry that hundreds of people had died at his hands, yet again.

River walked to her husband and touched his arm tentatively. He entwined his hand with hers and they stood together for a while, hands held and with River's head resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you Doctor," Liz said from behind them. "Thank you for saving my people. Again. You're a bloody idiot but… I'm forever in your debt."

"You and a lot of other people," River remarked. The Doctor gave her a small smile.

"Well, you best be wary of other visiting spaceships in the future. We don't know what the pirates stole, but we do know it's been returned. You're just going to have to be careful because there's a big chance that they might come back," he rattled off quickly, his anger disappearing as quickly as it came. "I suppose we'll be off now. Things to do, people to meet, aliens to annoy – you're lucky we even had time to come here in the first place."

Liz laughed at the bizarre man in front of her whom she had grown to consider one of her greatest friends. "Goodbye Doctor. Goodbye River."

"See you again, your highness," he bowed with a flourish then darted back into the TARDIS. The Queen smiled at River.

"Look after him."

"I'll try," she said and rolled her eyes. "Hope the rebuilding doesn't take too long, ma'am."

River turned and entered the TARDIS, smiling at the Queen before shutting the door. She turned back to her husband as he pulled the lever that sent them into the time vortex.

"Where to next, Proffessor Song?" he asked as she sat down.

"I think it's time for me to leave, sweetie," she murmured sadly as she looked up at him.

The smile on his face froze, then disappeared.

"Oh," he muttered, avoiding her gaze. "I-I suppose that can be arranged."

"You _know_ I can't stay with you forever."

"_Why not_, River?" he asked desperately "Why not?"

"I-I'm sorry my love."

He ran a hand throught his hair and sighed. He turned back to River to see tears in her eyes, and his gaze softened. He walked forwards and crouched in front of her, tucking a stray blonde, curl behind her ear as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"There's no need to cry, dear."

"I'm not crying!" she insisted as she hastily wiped away the tear. He laughed and reached up to kiss her on the forehead before turning back to the console. He punched a few buttons and they were off – where exactly, River had no idea.

After a few moments they landed and the Doctor ran to the door, where he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet excitedly.

"Where are we, sweetie?" River asked as she stood slowly.

"2014, England, Gloucestershire, about 5 miles out of Leadworth."

She raised an eyebrow and stepped past him, throwing open the TARDIS doors. They were parked in the front garden of a stately brick mansion with a blue tiled roof and white-trimmed windows. A path made of large stones set into the ground led up to a veranda with a table and two chairs, several pots overflowing with brightly coloured flowers hung from the ceiling. Tall hedges bordered the garden, dotted with rose bushes of every colour. A large, fluffy ginger cat sat on the veranda railing, a blue, silk ribbon tied in a bow around its neck. River turned to see a familiar looking shiny, red sportscar parked on the road outside and raised an eyebrow.

"I think I've seen that car before."

"Well, you did steal it once," the Doctor laughed as he bounced up the path towards the blue front door.

"Before Berlin?" she smiled and he nodded. "You went to the trouble of stealing it from the police?"

"Only took a flash of psychic paper and it was miraculously mine."

"Why is it here?"

"Figured you wanted to keep it," he said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Wait. This house… is it mine?"

"Only if you want it," he grinned at her shocked expression.

"You bought me a _mansion_?!" she cried and for a moment he thought she was angry. Before he could back away however, she ran at him and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him fiercely.

"I would have been happy with a tiny apartment in London," she laughed breathlessly when they broke apart. "You didn't need to go through all this trouble for me."

"It was no trouble at all, love," he smiled brightly and then kissed her again. They moved apart, keeping a tight hold of each other's hands, and walked up the path. River traced a finger over the golden number 11 on the blue door and smiled, pulling it open.

The inside of the house was all polished wood and high ceilings. Every wall seemed to be a different colour, ranging from dark red to jade green to royal blue. A large, spiral staircase led up to the floor above, a large, sparkling chandeleir hanging from the ceiling. The long hallway branched off onto several rooms – the kitchen and dining room, the living room, a green-tiled bathroom, and a small room with glass walls that doubled as a greenhouse.

Upstairs was an elegant study and several empty rooms that were probably made to be guest bedrooms. The library was a huge circular room with several layers and a dome roof, every inch of wall taken up by bookshelves. Several over-stuffed lounges were scattered around the room; ample room for reading in comfort. They walked past two more bathrooms before coming to a halt in front of another door, circular gallifreyan carved into its blue surface in gold.

"Welcome, Miss Song…" he said as he opened the door with a bow. "To the master bedroom."

River smiled as she looked around at the room in front of her. It reminded her of her room in the Hospital of the Sisters of the Infinite Schism from all those years ago when she'd given up her regenerations for the Doctor. A large four poster bed shrouded with white, silky curtains sat in the middle of the room, covered in a white quilt. Several large, gold clocks adorned the dark blue wall above the bed, each showing a different time from places around Earth. A large golden giled mirror leant against the wall in the corner, reflecting River's joyful face.

"Oh sweetie," she laughed as the Doctor jumped onto the bed with a gleeful expression on his face. "This is all so… amazing."

"You haven't even seen it all yet," he laughed and jumped back up, pulling her towards the door.

They both ran back down the stairs, the Doctor leading them to the end of the hallway where a smaller flight of stairs that River hadn't noticed seemed to lead down into a basement. They walked to the bottom and he flicked the switch on the wall, lighting up the room they were in. It was like a giant loft, only it was underground. Where windows would normally be there were fish tanks, huge aquariums filled with exotic and often other-wordly ocean life from tiny jellyfish to a giant, red octopus to every kind of fish River had ever seen. Hundreds of glass cases dotted the room containing all manner of historical artefacts; ancient armour, shards of pottery, old alien technology. Numerous different weapons hung around the room and paintings adorned the walls, including several that looked like original Van Gogh's. In one far corner there was a swimming pool, in another was a huge movie-theatre-sized screen in front of several large armchairs. River smiled when she looked up and saw what was lighting the room up. Laced across the ceiling like a huge, glowing spiderweb was strand after strand of white fairy lights.

"You have way too much time on your hands," she laughed.

"I've got a time machine remember," he smiled and tapped her on the nose. He turned to make his way back up the stairs, River by his side. When they reached the front door the ginger cat from outside walked in and rubbed itself up against the Doctor's legs affectionately. He smiled and crouched down to scratch the cat under the chin.

"This is Mouse," he answered in reply to River's unsaid question. "He has quite the unfortunate name."

"Judging by the blue ribbon around his neck, I'm guessing he comes with the house."

"Yep. He's yours to keep." River smiled at her husbands gleeful grin. He stood up and River cupped his cheek with her hand. He leant into her touch and smiled.

"Why are you doing all this, Doctor?" she asked quietly, her thumb softly tracing the line of his cheekbone.

"Do I need a reason other then wanting you to be happy?"

River pulled his face down to hers and kissed him softly. When they broke apart he held her in his arms, wanting to stay like that forever. His River, happy and warm in a place where she could be safe when they weren't off running for their lives. She sighed, breaking the silence.

"You _always_ have another reason."

He growled in frustraion and pressed his forehead to hers. "Why must you always make things so _difficult_?"

"It's in my job description, sweetie," she laughed, still awaiting his answer. He looked her in the eye and clenched his jaw before continuing.

"I know you've been trying to hide something from me."

River froze. "W-what do you mean?"

"The other week when you made the Empress of Gitakuon angry by flirting with her husband-"

"Well, she shouldn't have been flirting with mine!"

"After she shot you and I had to carry you back to the TARDIS… I did a full body medical scan and… I saw it," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he interrupted her stammering, his kind eyes staring into hers. River started as she watched the excited smile spread across her Doctor's handsome face. She gave him an equally happy smile in return.

"I wasn't quite sure how to bring it up, to be honest," she laughed. "Now I guess I don't have to."

The Doctor just smiled for a while before bursting out excitedly, "We're gonna have a _baby_!"

He wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her around as she giggled like a teenage girl, her golden curls bouncing around as she laughed. When he stopped, he pulled her in for a kiss that made River's toes curl and her legs feel like they were made of jelly.

"Are you sure it'll be safe?" River asked softly after they held each other, her voice slightly muffled against his chest.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, pulling her back to look into her stormy grey eyes. "It'll be the happiest, safest baby in the universe!"

"Are you sure? What about the Silence and K-Kovarian?"

"They won't hurt our baby," he assured her, his eyes darting back and forth between hers. "Trust me, I'm the Doctor."

"Oh, I know sweetie. I know."

* * *

_Surprise Time baby :D_

_Please review if you have the time!_


	4. Worried

_ Just a quick update before I go to bed!_

_*Doctor Who belongs to the brilliant BBC*_

* * *

"Hi honey, I'm home."

"And what sort of time do you call this?" River replied as usual, looking up from her book as the Doctor shut the door behind him. It was actually a reasonable question seeing as it was three o'clock in the morning.

"Ah yes, I am home a bit late, aren't I?" he smiled sheepishly as he glanced at his watch. "Why are you up at this hour?"

"Couldn't sleep," she replied simply, a troubled look crossing her face.

"Why not, dear?" the Doctor questioned, a hand reaching forward to smooth the worried lines on her face. "Nightmares?"

"Sort of," she murmured. He raised an eyebrow and sat down next to her on the lounge. She rested her head on his shoulder and he frowned.

"Are you alright, River dear? Are you coming down with something? Should I call a doctor – a proper doctor, not me. Is the baby okay-"

She placed a finger over his lips to stop his babbling. "Everything is fine, sweetie. I'm fine, the baby's fine, the _cat's_ fine," she took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm just worried about… about what will happen to our baby."

The Doctor frowned down at his wife as she avoided his gaze. "What do you mean?"

"I j-just… don't want what happened to _me_ to happen to my baby," she murmured, the tears welling in her eyes threatening to spill over. "I wouldn't ever want to bring that upon any child."

"They'll be safe, River," he said, his voice muffled against her curly hair. "I'll keep our baby safe."

"_How_?" she demanded. "You didn't stop Kovarian when she took me."

He flinched, anger flashing in his eyes. River inhaled quickly, realising her mistake. She shouldn't have said that. "Sorry, my love. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, I'm just… scared."

The Doctor's gaze softened and he leant down to kiss her softly, his lips barely brushing against hers. When they pulled apart she started at the sadness in his ancient eyes, even more overwhelming than usual. "My brilliant River Song is never scared."

River didn't reply, simply stared at him with a desperate look on her face and he sighed.

"I had children once, long ago – grandchildren too. You know that. My first companion was my grandaughter Susan. I was so naive then; so young and naive. I was too young to be a parent let alone a grandparent, always running away from responsibility," he smiled sadly, remembering simpler times. "But now I'm old. I've been to every corner of the universe and tried to help wherever I could. Sometimes it didn't work and I just hurt people, but sometimes I acually did it right and I _saved_ people. But no matter how many people I save, I always think of the ones I didn't. Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy and Rory – _everyone_ who either left me or got left behind. That includes my children, my family from all those centuries ago on Gallifrey. I didn't save them. But I promise you if _your_ child is ever in danger, Melody Pond, I will go to the edge of the universe and back to bring them home safe. I know how it feels to lose a child and I wouldn't ever want to bring _that_ upon _you_."

The tears flowed then as River shook with sobs. She buried her face in the Doctor's chest, his warm arms wrapping around her, as she cried.

"Stupid hormones," she muttered when she stopped sobbing enough to speak coherently. He laughed, a deep chuckle that made his whole chest vibrate, and River smiled. She looked up into his hazel eyes and he kissed her on the nose.

"I love you," he smiled brightly.

"I love you too, sweetie."

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_Please review if you liked it!_


	5. Nebula

_Hello sweeties! Sorry for the wait! I had exams this week so I didn't really have the time to write. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed, it's late and I just wanted to get the idea for it out of my head. Hope you like it :D_

_*BBC owns Doctor Who and stuff*_

* * *

River looked up from the cup of tea she was stirring as the doorbell rang, a confused expression crossing her face. Who could that be? Nobody ever visited her home, it was in the middle of nowhere. Thinking it was just someone trying to sell her something, River ignored it.

There was a moment of silence before the bell rang again and she heard a strange scratching sound. She turned to see Mouse pawing at the door, meowing insistently, and rolled her eyes. Then the doorbell rang again and this time an annoyed voice came from the other side.

"River I know you're home, I can _see_ the lights on," the Doctor huffed, his forehead pressed against the wood of the door. "I was trying to be polite, but if you're just going to ignore me I'll just use my sonic-"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she laughed as she made her way down the hallway, gently pushing a disgruntled Mouse aside as she opened the door to her husband's grinning face. "Good morning, sweetie."

"Good morning Proffessor Song," he said with a nod of his head and River pulled him in for a kiss. When they pulled apart he laughed, smirking down at her. "Has it been awhile?"

"Of course not, you only just left yesterday," she replied with a flirty smile. "Am I not allowed to kiss my husband hello?"

"You can kiss me whenever you want, dear."

"_Good_, I might just have too."

"Hey, stop that!" he laughed and danced away from her when she leant in again.

"Stop what?"

"Distracting me!" he grinned like he really didn't mind. "I didn't just come here to kiss you now did I?"

"I don't know, you tell me," she snorted as she made her way back down the hallway, Mouse mewing insistently at her heels. She crouched down and scratched him behind the ears. "Yes, I know my sweet, you're hungry. Give me a moment… and a can-opener."

The Doctor followed River into the kitchen bemusedly, absentmindedly pouring himself a cup of tea as River fetched the cat food from the cupboard. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the impatient expression on his face, his foot tapping a ceaseless rhythm on the maroon tiles. Once the cat was attended to – his thick, fluffy tail flicking back and forth happily as he ate – she sat down at the table, placing a biscuit tin in front of her husband.

"I can see you're raring to be off on a new adventure, sweetie," River smirked as he took a jammie dodger out of the tin and dipped it in his tea. "So tell me, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he smirked and River raised an eyebrow. "I found a hypercube, or more it found me."

"A hypercube?"

"Timelord communication device. We wrap up our thoughts inside a box and send it through time and space to its destination."

River frowned at his excited grin, knowing what this meant. "So you think there's another surviving Timelord out there?"

He nodded excitedly.

"Sweetie, I hate to burst your bubble but… you do remember what happened last time, don't you?"

The Doctor's smile faltered as memories from the last time he rushed to the aid of a Timelord he thought was living came to mind. The TARDIS' face flashed across his mind and he sighed.

"I'll go find out what happened to the Timelord," he said sadly. "If they died at someone's hands other then mine… well, I'll try and stop that person from hurting others again. But if they're _alive_, River…"

"I guess I have no choice then," she smiled. He jumped up and moved to run out the front door, but River caught his arm and smiled. "You haven't even asked where I am yet, sweetie."

"Ah, right. Yes," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "Where are we?"

"Last I saw you was yesterday when you came at three in the morning and stayed the night."

He frowned slightly. "And before that?"

"You gave me a house."

"Same for me," he said, a smile breaking out on his face. "We're linear. That's new."

"Why? Why now?"

"We're moving from opposite ends of each others time-streams," he explained as they both made their way to the door. "I guess now we're meeting in the middle. We're halfway there."

"Halfway to the end," she said quietly, tears in her pretty, green eyes.

"Or to the beginning," he murmured. "Half empty or half full. It depends on your outlook on life." He looked over his shoulder at her then turned away, his eyes downcast. She didn't mean for him to hear.

"Well, I apologise for being a pessimist," River muttered as she shrugged on her coat and followed her husband out into the rain.

"Never apologise for who you are, River," the Doctor said quietly, staring up into the grey sky. "Rule Seventy-seven."

"What if who you are could get you killed?"

"I think you'll find the answer to that somewhere in Rule One."

"Well isn't someone just a beacon of hope today," she said under her breath. Of course he heard her – damn him and his inhuman hearing abilities – and he turned to kiss her on the cheek.

"I guess I'm just feeling rather hopeful," he grinned. River frowned as he opened the TARDIS door and walked in, her husband's good mood not rubbing off on her like usual.

"What exactly are we looking for, sweetie?" she asked as she took his jacket for him and hung it on the coat-rack by the door. "Do you know who the Timelord is?"

"I told you, I haven't listened to the message yet!" he huffed, picking up the little glowing cube that contained the thoughts of what River was starting to think was a long dead Timelord. He tossed it to her and she caught it, turning it over in her hands as she stared at the glowing, white surface. How such a small, seemingly unassuming thing could give someone so much hope, she had no idea. She handed it back to her husband and he bounced up the stairs to the console where he plugged the cube in. He turned his head to smile at her before flicking a switch.

"_H-Hello?_" a young girl's voice whispered from the console. "_Can you hear me? I-I've never used one of these before… and nobody r-really taught me how_." There was a pause as the girl took a deep breath as though she was holding back tears. "_If you're reading… _listening_ to this_ _I'm guessing that you're a T-Timelord. Can you come get me? I-I'm alone… and scared. _Please_ come get me. Please_."

They both stood in silence for a moment, staring wide-eyed at the now silent cube sitting on the console. Before River could say anything the Doctor span into motion, pushing buttons, turning cranks and pulling levers, and the TARDIS took off.

"Where are we going?" she cried over the sound of the time-machine dematerialising. "She didn't say where she was!"

"She gave space co-ordinates," he replied, reaching around her to flick a switch on her left. "She didn't say them, they came up on the screen."

"Well, _where are we going_?"

"Nebula!" he cried, a familiar excited smile spreading across his face as the sound of lightning crackling around them once again assaulted River's ears.

"Again?" she laughed and joined him in his dance around the console. River's bad mood seemed to always just melt away when she was in the TARDIS. All it took was a cheeky grin from the Doctor and the flick of a switch, and she'd forget all her troubles and let her face split into a smile. That was the only thing that had made her imprisonment bearable, that kept away her doubts when he dropped her back to her cell after every visit. The fact that he would be back. Whether it was the next night or the next year, he would come back and whisk her away on another adventure. Her Doctor and his blue box. The only family she'd known for decades. They would _always_ be back. He might have been getting younger – losing his memories of her – but she always knew that he was her Doctor and he would _never_ leave her behind.

"We're here!" River said in a sing-song voice as the TARDIS landed soundlessly. The Doctor glared at her from behind the monitor, grumpy at the fact that he hadn't noticed her sneak the breaks off. He flicked a switch and the screen on the wall came on, showing the empty landscape outside. It was the same place that they'd landed in last time, only there were less flowers and the trees looked slightly shorter. "Exactly when are we?"

"8153. Roughly twenty-three years before our last visit when we dropped Hunter off," he jumped down the stairs and stuck his head out the door, taking in a deep breath of evening. "About… a quarter to five in the afternoon."

"I'm not seeing anyone, sweetie," River murmured, taking his hand and pulling him back into the TARDIS. "And I've got a bad feeling about this place."

"If I didn't go somewhere because you got a bad feeling, I never would have stolen a time-machine and ran away to see the universe," he smirked at her and River sighed, letting go of his arm and following him out the door.

They walked for a few minutes, intending to head towards the city glittering in the distance, but something made the Doctor stop and turn around.

"_No_," he hissed. His hand went straight to his jacket pocket and he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, spinning quickly as he scanned the area around them.

"What is it, Doctor?" River demanded. He shook his head slightly, raising the sonic in the air and pointing it at the sky above them. They both looked up and River swore under her breath at what she saw.

"Doctor, are those-"

"Cyberships," he spat, spinning around to see a group of twelve Cybermen materialise in front of them. River pressed her back against his so to keep an eye on the Cyberman behind him.

"_You are here to stop us, Doctor_," the Cyberman at the front stated.

"Yes. Yes I am."

"_You are too late. We will take over the human settlement. We will remove all emotions. We will make them strong. They will be upgraded_."

"I can't allow that," he growled. "We may not be on Earth but those are still humans."

"_They are compatible. They will be upgraded to Cyberform_."

"We appear to have reached the point in conversation where I give you a choice," he mused. "Deactivate yourselves or I deactivate you."

"_We will not surrender. You will_."

"And what makes you think that?" the Doctor asked quietly, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"_We know the whereabouts of the other_."

They were pressed so close together River could feel the Doctor's hearts beating faster at the Cyberman's words.

"The other _what_?"

"_The other of your kind. You think you are alone but you are not. We found the other Timelord before you did. We know where she is. You will die not knowing_."

"Is that why you're here?" he questioned, his eyes darting back and forth between the Cybermen. He was just stalling now, trying to buy some more time so to think of a plan.

"_We heard rumours that there was one of your kind here, among the human settlement. We have captured her. We will kill her if you do not surrender_."

"How do you know she's a Timelord?"

"_Her biological makeup is similar to yours. She has two hearts. She is a Timelord. She is the enemy_."

"Sweetie," River whispered. "Have you got a plan yet?"

"No – well yes, but it's almost impossible to orchestrate at the moment," he muttered. "If I could get on their ship somehow, I could try to hack into their computers. See if I could find a way to send a signal to their heads or scramble their wires or… I could do loads! I just have to get on their ship!"

"Well, maybe now's the time to figure out how to set the ball rolling," River hissed. The Doctor huffed and turned his gaze back to the Cybermen.

"What will happen to the humans if I surrender?"

"_No_," River hissed. "You can't just _surrender_!"

"_They are compatible. They will be upgraded to Cyberform_."

"Yeah, you mentioned that-"

_ "You and your companion are not compatible. You will be deleted_."

"NO!" River screamed as the Cyberman raised its arm and shot a red burst at the Doctor's chest from its wrist blaster. She spun around when she felt him fall away from her to see him kneeling on the ground, a blonde-haired woman lying in his arms, her sparkling grey eyes fluttering shut. River's shocked expression was mirrored on his face as he watched the life in the unfamiliar woman slowly fade away. She had jumped in front of him out of nowhere at the last moment, sacrificed her life for his, and he didn't even know who she was. She tried to say something but she was so quiet that the Doctor had to lean in.

"I snuck onto their ship and found their main computer," she murmured in his ear. "I found a way to disrupt the emotion-disabling implant in their heads. I had to escape before I could wire it to a remote or something though…"

The Doctor's face broke out into a grin and he kissed her quickly on the head. "I don't know how you did that but you are _brilliant_. You've done more than enough."

"Sweetie?" River asked, her gun pointed at the Cybermen before them. "Could you please do something about the planet's _impending doom_!"

Still holding the woman in his arms, the Doctor pulled out his sonic and once again pointed it at the sky. There was a flash of light and suddenly the Cybermen were screaming, clutching their heads.

"_What is happening_?"

"My friend here hacked into your computers," he grinned. "And I just turned your emotions back on."

"_Emotional overload_."

"_Can not compute_!"

"_Aaaargh_!"

Suddenly their heads were exploding and the Doctor was yelling to get out. He picked up the mystery woman and followed River as they ran towards the TARDIS. Before they reached the doors however, there was a great big flash of light and they turned to see the last headless cyber-body fall to the ground. As River stared at their still smoking bodies on the ground she felt the strangest urge to laugh. And she did. Relieved laughter that didn't match the tears forming in her eyes as she realised how close she'd been to losing her husband. And then she remembered why she didn't.

The Doctor was kneeling on the ground next to the woman, holding her hand as she tried to continue breathing. River joined them on the grass, gently lifting the woman's head and resting it on her knees.

"Why did you do that?" he whispered, his thumb brushing over the lady's shaking hand. "Why did you protect me? I don't even know you."

"It seemed like the right thing at the time," she said, laughing softly and then grimacing as pain shot through her chest. River reached down to brush a stray lock of golden hair off her face, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you," River said, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you for saving him."

The woman gave her a weak smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling with wrinkles that a person develops from years of laughter.

"What's your name?" the Doctor murmured as his wife pulled out her medscanner.

"Nebula."

"That's the name of the planet."

"I know," she smiled. "They named me after the planet."

"Who's they?"

"The humans. They've raised me since I was twelve years old. My first guardians are long gone now, but their children are still here. I looked after them and they looked after me."

"Well, I promise you Nebula, we'll get you back to your humans safe and sound," he assured her, his eyes darting back and forth between her's. "You just have to get better."

"I will," she laughed again, her face screwing up in pain as she did so. "Just give me a moment and a bit of space."

"Sweetie what is she talking about?" River questioned. She glanced at her medscanner and frowned. "She's dying."

The Doctor let go of her hand and stood, staring at Nebula with a confused expression on his face. He scanned her quickly with his screwdriver and his face split into the happiest grin River had ever seen..

"No she's not," he laughed and River raised an eyebrow in confusion. "_Get back_, River."

"What – why?"

Nebula laughed now as she sat up slowly, a hand flying to her chest as she winced. The Doctor grabbed River around the waist and pulled her back.

"What is wrong with you – _Oh_."

Nebula stood up slowly as her hands began to glow with a golden light, and smiled brilliantly at them both. "Someone finally got my message."

"That was you?" River asked. "You're the little girl from the hypercube?"

"We're obviously a bit late, dear," the Doctor frowned. "Uh, how late exactly?"

"521 years," Nebula smiled.

"Oh right. Sorry about that."

"Better late than never," she replied as her face began to glow too.

Regeneration energy suddenly exploded from her body in a wave, throwing her arms out and her head back. A painful scream tore from her throat as every cell in her body was ripped apart and replaced by new, completely different ones. Every part of her body was destroyed, a brand new part taking its place. The only thing that stayed the same were her memories, now being shoved unmercifully back into her new brain. She opened her eyes and they were seared into her memory too, the first faces her new face ever saw. The Doctor and River Song.

They both stared as Nebula fell onto her knees with a gasp, her once blonde hair now a thick curtain of waist-length brown waves. She looked up at them with a twenty-year-old face that was middle-aged just moments ago and looked at them both with warm, golden eyes the exact colour of the lingering regeneration energy that still danced around her.

"Alright, what do we have here," she muttered as she looked down at herself. She cleared her throat and frowned. "Deeper voice… hmmm. Not sure if I like that. Wait, _no_! Am I a… nope, nope definitely a female. Hair colour… yes! I was getting sick of blonde. Legs, arms… good. Toes…" she looked down at her silk slippers and frowned. "I'm just going to assume I've got ten. Oh, fingers! Wait, how many fingers are you supposed to have?"

"Ten," the Doctor replied happily as he moved forward to help her up.

"Good, that's how many I have," Nebula grinned at him and accepted his outstretched hand. She staggered slightly when she stood and the Doctor caught her. "Oops, sorry about that. Balance is a bit off still."

"I- you're a Timelord!" he blurted out, then slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Way to state the obvious, sweetie," River smirked at her childish husband as he tried to refrain from jumping up and down with excitement. Nebula simply grinned, the Doctor's joyful face mirrored in her's.

"And so are you!" she laughed.

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_Woohoo new character! Nebula's story gets explained a bit more in the next chapter, so don't worry. Please review if you liked it!_


	6. Forgiven

_Good evening friends! Quick update for you! Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I really just rushed through this one. I apologise for the next chapter or two being short ones, I promise that they're necessary. Please enjoy!_

_*Everything belongs to the BBC except Nebula, she's mine!*_

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"Dear_ Rassilon_," Nebula breathed as she stared at the Doctor's police box. "That's a TARDIS, isn't it?"

"The only one left," he said with a slightly proud smile. She placed a hand on the blue wood of the door and looked up at it in wonder.

"Why is it a police box?" she asked, querking a questioning eyebrow. "Broken chameleon circuit?"

"I- yeah," he huffed, not bothering to lie about it like usual. Humans didn't know how a TARDIS worked so they hardly ever questioned its appearance. When they did ask, the Doctor would lie. Say that it was meant to look like that, but a Timelord wasn't so easy to fool.

"I haven't seen a TARDIS in… well, 521 years," Nebula said as she rested her forehead against the wood of the time machine. "Started to think I'd never see one again."

"Well, you best get used to it," River said with a happy smile as she sorted through the still smoking remains of the Cybermen, picking up whatever pieces of weaponry she could find. "Now that he's found you, I don't think the Doctor's ever going to let you out of his sight."

"Wait," Nebula turned quickly to look the Doctor in the eye. "I can come with you?"

"Only if you want to," he said quietly, avoiding her gaze for fear that she'll see the guilt in his eyes.

"Why me?"

"I don't really want to leave you behind," he said sadly, running a hand through his already messy hair. "You know, what with us being the last Timelords in the universe."

Nebula's excited smile vanished as a look of shock replaced it. "_What_? What do you mean 'the last Timelords'?"

The Doctor stared at her, his mouth slightly open. He exchanged a fearful look with River, her face mirroring his.

"You don't know," River stated quietly. "How can you not know?"

Nebula's shocked expression melted into one of great sorrow, like a cloud finally opening up and releasing the rain it had been carrying for weeks. "W-we lost the war didn't we?"

"Nobody won the war and nobody lost," he stated sadly, sitting down slowly on the blue-green grass the carpeted the ground. "Sit down and I'll… I'll tell you what happened."

Nebula sank to the ground with a sigh. River walked over and joined them both on the floor, resting her head on her husband's shoulder as he told Nebula his story – the story of how the greatest race in the universe was torn apart.

"By the sound of it, you were there for a part of the war-"

"I was very young. Too young to remember much…"

"Then you will have seen what it was like," the Doctor muttered, memories he had been trying to forget rushing back. "The final days were _brutal_. So much death and destruction. So much bloodshed. So many innocent lives lost. Rassilon was desperate to end it. He proposed the Ultimate Sanctum. All of creation would be destroyed – all of time and space – and The Time Lords would become non-corporeal beings, creatures of pure consciousness existing without time."

"Like ghosts?" Nebula asked.

"Yes, exactly! Well, not at all, but if it makes you understand it better, then yes," he said, exasperated by the interruption.

"So, what you're saying is the Time Lords were going to end the Time war by destroying all of creation where they would exist as ghost-like beings floating through the smoke and debris of what was left of the universe."

"Yep."

"The Time Lords seriously believed that the survival of their race was more important than the survival of the universe?" she asked incredulously. "Doesn't that just seem a _tad_ pretentious?"

"Yes well, there's a Timelord for you," River sighed and her husband smiled.

"You stopped them, didn't you?" Nebula questioned, anxious to find out the ending of the story.

"Yes, of course I did," he said, his eyes downcast again. "I couldn't let them just destroy the universe. More lives would be lost then saved. So… I stopped them," he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"Gallifrey was destroyed. The Time Lords and the Daleks disappeared from time and space. The war was time-locked making it impossible to revisit the events. Our people… were lost."

They sat in silence for several minutes, giving Nebula time to process all this. 521 years of not knowing if her people survived was tough enough, but then discovering that the only other Timelord in existence other than herself was the one that killed them? That was just cruel.

"I'm sorry, Nebula," the Doctor said, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I'm so sorry."

He braced himself for the anger, the yelling of verbal abuse and the hurt of the clawing of fingernails. He expected no less of the woman sitting in front of him. He hadn't just murdered his people, no, now he'd murdered her's too. Her family and friends, her home. They were gone because of him.

Instead, she simply leaned forward and placed a hand on his chest in an old Gallifreyan gesture of forgiveness.

"And you are forgiven," she said with a brilliant smile, tears running down her face.

The Doctor let out a breathless laugh and hugged her. Words couldn't describe his joy. Joy at finally being forgiven for what he'd done. Sure, he was still going to hate himself for what he did, still going to be plagued by nightmares of his dying people, but some of his guilt, at least, was erased. Replaced by a bittersweet happiness at no longer being the last of his kind.

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_Hope you liked it! Please review if you have the time :D_


	7. Away We Go

_Hello again! Two in one night, you guys are lucky. It's another quick one but you'll have to get over it :D_

_*BBC owns Doctor Who and stuff*_

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"Now, what seems to be the question of the hour, Nebula my friend, is how are you here?"

She gave him a small smile as she pulled away from the Doctor and resumed her position from before. "That's another story, and a much less exciting one than yours."

"A story we'd both like to hear," River remarked and her husband nodded in agreement. Nebula sighed and shook her head slightly.

"A long, long time ago," she began, "521 years to be exact, my father passed away. He was killed in the war, like every other Timelord at the time. My brother was there when he died, even held his hand in his final moments. He made my brother promise to do whatever he could to keep me safe, to make sure I survived the war.

"One afternoon, my brother came home. I sat up in my room trying to listen as he talked with my mother downstairs, but I heard nothing. After a few moments my mum came into my room crying and saying… saying she loved me and that she would miss me," Nebula took a deep breath and wiped a few tears off her face before continuing. "My brother took me away. We ran down the street to where Dad's old TARDIS was parked and unlocked the door with the key that Mum must have given him moments ago. He pushed me inside, ignoring my questions, and began punching in a date and a location.

"When we landed he… he turned to me and said '_I'm sorry star gazer. I love you. We all love you._' And then… it was all a bit of a blur. All I know was that I blacked out and when I woke up, I was surrounded by humans asking me if I was alright and what my name was. I couldn't answer because I didn't know."

"What did your brother do?" River asked.

"He used the Chameleon Arch," the Doctor answered quietly. "He turned you into a human."

"Yes," Nebula replied simply, pulling off the pendent she wore around her neck and tossing it to him. Upon closer inspection he saw that it was actually a silver fob watch strung on a simple chain.

"'Look up star gazer'," he murmured as he traced a finger over the words engraved on its front in Circular Gallifreyan.

"That's what my Gallifreyan name meant," Nebula said. "Star gazer. I didn't know that at the time of course, I couldn't even read it. The humans named me Nebula after the planet and that's been my name ever since."

"But how – You're not human now," River stated raising an eyebrow at her.

"My brother left me one memory. It was just him saying 'Open the clock when you see a great light in the sky'."

"Great light?"

"Gallifrey exploding," the Doctor answered. "You were human at the time so it didn't affect you. Clever boy, your brother."

Nebula smiled and took the clock back, returning it to around her neck. "I opened it and got my memories back, as well as my other Timelord parts. It hurt like _hell_."

"So you were alive, but trapped on a foreign planet with a whole bunch of humans."

"Yep. It took them 78 years to realise that I was telling the truth about me being a Timelord. That was the first time I regenerated."

"How many times have you-?"

"Well, just then was my fourth," she grinned. "And don't you go feeling special because I gave up a regeneration to save you; I did that for all my deaths."

"What on earth do you mean?" River laughed.

"The humans nicknamed me 'The Matyr' because I died for them… several times," Nebula smiled ruefully. "You're not the first man I jumped in front of a bullet for."

"You're definitely an interesting soul, Nebs," the Doctor smirked. He stood up and brushed himself off, opening the TARDIS doors with a click of his fingers. Both females stood, Nebula dancing past the Doctor to run inside the time-machine, laughing excitedly. River moved to follow her but he pulled her aside gently.

"You alright, dear?" he asked quietly, his eyes looking her up and down. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him softly.

"As long as you're happy, I'm perfectly fine," she murmured into his neck as he hugged her.

"I meant the baby, River," he muttered as he pulled her through the door.

"He's fine, sweetie."

"_He_?"

"I've decided it's a boy," she grinned and he rolled his eyes. She made her way up the few steps to the flight deck and plonked herself down on the seat.

Nebula waved out the door before the Doctor closed it. "Goodbye humans! I'll be back in… I don't know, a decade or so."

The Doctor grinned at her as he jumped up to the console, adjusting his bowtie as he went. "Not going to head back and pack, Miss Nebula?"

"I've got everything I need," she smiled back.

"Well then, away we go!" the Doctor laughed as he pulled that lever that threw them into the time vortex.

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_Please review if you enjoyed!_


	8. Hunt Her

_Good morning dear readers! I'm so sorry for the wait, I had the worst writers block, but I'm back now! I'm on holidays so expect more frequent chapter uploads. Maybe two or three a week? Please forgive me for being such a horrible person and leaving you all hanging. Next chapter will be up tonight or tomorrow so I hope you like it!_

_*Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and stuff*_

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The wind howled outside, rattling the windows of the dingy pub. Few people remained in the tavern - two woman wearing long, black veils that covered their faces, a hulking, gap-toothed man sipping a drink alone, several vaguely humanoid-shaped creatures crowded around a table in a shadowy corner, and an oddly dressed man, tapping a restless tune on the polished top of the table he was seated at by the fireplace. The pub-owner stood behind the bar, polishing glasses with a dirty rag.

The door creaked open and the harsh wind blew around the room. The humanoid creatures muttered angrily and the women hissed before the door was slammed shut again. The pub-owner's gaze moved to the newcomer and a welcoming smile spread across his face.

"Hunter, my good man!" he exclaimed as the man made his way over to the bar. "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Must I need a reason to visit an old friend?" Hunter replied, glancing around the room before his eyes fell on the strange man, who now sat quietly fiddling with his fingers. The pub-owner noticed where he was staring.

"That man's here for you," he muttered. "Says his name's 'the Doctor'. You know him? Is he another one of your clients?"

"More of an old friend, you could say," Hunter murmured, placing a large, gold coin on the counter top. "Thanks for your services, mate."

"Anytime."

He made his way over to the table by the fireplace, sitting down across from the Doctor with a sigh. He looked up and smiled.

"Hello Hunter."

"Do you know who I am yet?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor replied after a pause. Hunter smiled.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"You sound like River," he grumbled. "And when I did find out, she tried to kill me and then we got married. Excuse me if I've got mixed emotions about discovering your identity."

"Trust me, I'm not your wife."

"That's what they all say... or maybe I say that? Though I'm their husband, not their wife. I mean not their husband-"

"You're babbling," Hunter interrupted. "Why did you come here?"

The Doctor exhaled loudly, running a hand through his hair. He glanced around the room and noticed the curiosity in the pub-owner's eyes as he watched the two of them. "Let's go for a walk."

"In this weather? Why can't we just go to the TAR-" The Doctor shook his head minutely.

"Let's go," he said forcefully. Hunter stood and followed him out the door, shielding his eyes against the buffeting wind. They trudged along the empty road and down the hill where Hunter could see the edge of a police telephone box peeking out of an alleyway. He smiled. Vortex manipulators were a handy way to get from A to B but they sure as hell didn't beat traveling through time and space in a TARDIS.

"Well, in you pop," the Doctor said tiredly, pushing the door open. He glanced around, checking for anyone watching them, before going inside.

"Why are you acting so furtive?" Hunter asked as he took a seat by the console.

"It's all River's worrying," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "She's putting me on edge."

"What's she worrying about?"

"Did you ever get told what happened to River when she was born?"

"I heard.. snippets but never the whole story."

"Well, you know River's part Timelord. When her mum - one of my companions at the time, Amy - discovered she was pregnant, some people were interested. A newborn timebaby. If captured and raised under the influence of someone else, it could become a powerful weapon.

"The religious order called the Silence were interested in a weapon like her. Just think what it would be like to have a part Timelord at your disposal, an assassin that was stronger and more... _evolved_ then the average human. A mercenary that couldn't die."

"But who did the Silence want dead?"

"Didn't you ever hear the story of how River and I met?" the Doctor questioned, smiling wryly. Hunter's eyes widened.

"They wanted her to kill you?" he asked incredulously. "Your _wife_ was your assassin?"

"Yeah, that obviously ended well for the Silence. But anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. River was stolen from her parents as a baby and I failed to get her back. She was raised to be my murderer, lived her life running from the Silence and her inevitable future."

"So why is River worried?"

"The woman who took her, Madame Kovarian, is still out there and... River's pregnant."

"She thinks that this Kovarian lady is going to take her baby like she took River?" Hunter asked, an odd expression on his face.

"Correct."

"Why don't you go after her yourself?"

"Don't have the time."

"You've got a bloody _time machine_."

"I know, I know. I just don't like leaving her, okay?"

"So you want me to go after her," Hunter stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "What makes you think I can find her?"

"Your name's Hunter, isn't it?" he asked tiredly. "Then do just that: _hunt her_."

They sat in silence for several minutes, Hunter biting his lip while the Doctor fiddled with the various switches in front of him.

"Why me?" he asked quietly. The Timelord stopped, his back hunched over the console. "I'm sure you have plenty of other friends who could find this woman for you."

"It's not their job to find people."

"It's just my name," he mumbled grumpily. "When did names become a job description?"

"When you picked the job you were named for," the Doctor answered, patting Hunter on the back with a bright smile. "What sort of payment do you want?"

"Don't worry about it," Hunter mumbled. "Just give me an extra big Christmas present this year."

"This year for you or this year for me?"

"Either one." He stood up, moving his hand to the vortex manipulator on his wrist. "Goodbye Doctor. If future you wasn't lying then this is the last time I see past you."

"When will I see past _you_?"

"Spoilers," he grinned, disappearing in a spark of time energy. The Doctor smiled, shaking his head as he turned back to the console, punching in the buttons that would take him home to River.

. . .

"Nebula!" Hunter whispered, looking up at the second story window of the stately brick mansion. "You awake?"

"No," she grumbled in reply, poking a head of sleep-tousled hair out the window. "Why didn't you just come in the front door?"

"I dunno," he answered, smiling stupidly. She rolled her eyes.

"Give me a moment."

Hunter paced back and forth impatiently as he waited. He sighed loudly when he saw her come around the corner after several minutes.

"Took you long enough."

"Where are we headed?" she asked.

"A past Doctor has given me a job to do." Nebula raised an eyebrow.

"A _past_ Doctor? Did you not listen at all when your father explained to you how tricky it is when you run into someone you know from the past?"

"Of course I did!" Hunter replied indignantly. "He knows I did."

Nebula exhaled, frowning at the boy she'd been commissioned to look after. The older he got, the more difficult her job became.

"Okay, okay. As long as you didn't say _anything_. Not even what gender his baby will be!"

"I didn't, I swear!"

"_You're an idiot_," she muttered, her voice bending in a way that didn't seem humanely possible as the syllables spilled out of her mouth almost like singing. Hunter turned his head to the side and frowned. He really wished he knew more Gallifreyan.

"Come on, where are we going?"

"No idea!" Hunter replied happily. "We're apparently looking for a woman who wants to take River's unborn child away from her and use him as a weapon against the Doctor."

"Madame Kovarian? River used to worry about her_ years _ago."

"Why'd she stop?"

"The Doctor told her that he sent someone after her... oh lord, that's you, isn't it?" Hunter simply smiled in return. "This is weird."

"Well, get over it. We've got a timebaby to protect."

Nebula rolled her eyes. "Geronimo?"

"Geronimo."

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_Huzzah! Next chapter has a bit of story progression... just a bit._

_Please review if you enjoyed!_


	9. Living With Two Timelords

_Good morning/afternoon! I'm not dead and this story sure as hell isn't discarded, I'm just really bad at motivating myself to do things. I wouldn't really call this a chapter, more of a quick outline of what River goes through with these two shenanigan makers. If you guys like this I might write a proper chapter or two about domestic Timelord life so make sure to review at the end. Anyway, hope you like it!_

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Living with two Timelords, River had come to realise, is a highly arduous endeavour, as demanding and taxing as raising a child. You can only imagine her dismay when a quiet epiphany on a dreary Thursday afternoon led her to the realisation that in roughly three months she would be doing just that – raising a child. A mostly Timelord child. And she was quite sure that that was two more Timelords than she could handle, if you could consider the almost non-existent control she had over her husband _handling_.

They were awake at all hours and constantly bored, needing even the tiniest, most menial task to occupy them, whether it was repeatedly throwing a ball against the wall, cleaning the windows or (Nebula's latest pursuit) reading every single book that resided in the library from cover to cover. It did however come in handy on occasion when River's steadily growing bump got in the way of doing her everyday domestic duties that she detested. One word of clothes to be hung out to dry, rooms to be vacuumed or work shirts to be ironed, and the pair were off; tearing through her household chores, soon back to complaining about their boredom once more.

Though, not every day was bustling with activity, not every day did the walls ring with the song-song Gallifreyan that the pair found great pleasure with conversing in. Some days the Doctor received a distress call from a spaceship light-years away or a hasty phone call from an old friend several galaxies over and the two of them dematerialised away, coming back some time in the next few days.

But some days are so, so blessed. Some days River wakes up to the heavy breathing of her sleeping husband, curled up beside her. Some days Nebula can be found passed out on the lounge in front of the fire, an open book still clutched in her hands.

Some days, when a Timelord's huge amount of energy is used up and the Sand Man comes to call, River gets a few hours of sweet relief, unburdened with the responsibility of living with two Timelords.

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_Reviews make me super happy!_


	10. An Average Adventure

_Merry morning readers! New chapter for you, hope you like it._

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The Emperor of Hexacore was a cruel leader with a twisted opinion on right and wrong. Crowned supreme leader of the richest planet in the Pernavrak Galaxy at the highly impressionable age of eleven, his mind was poisoned by the luxury and rich decadence of royal lifestyle before he even sat down on the throne.

Horribly overweight and horribly impatient, he had no respect for the basic rights of his citizens and any visitor to his planet. Once a highly prosperous civilisation – the pride of the Pernavrak – Hexacore was reduced to an ally-less, poverty-stricken nation struggling under the weight of its uncaring leader. His perverse preference for female servants had families queuing outside palace doors, hoping that the Emperor liked what he saw in their daughters (and only what he saw), his unnecessary need for a military had fathers and sons willing to live in the horrid barracks conditions if it meant their families got a meal each day. As the Emperor's waistband grew, the wellbeing of his subjects greatly declined.

And it's safe to say that ruffled a few feathers (literally, seeing as Hexacorans were half bird).

. . .

"Your majesty," a grey-feathered guard called as he bowed before the Emperor. "A visitor has arrived on our- _your_ soils. A female star-traveller."

The Emperor's beady eyes widened slightly at the mention of a new female specimen to study and something close to a greedy smile curved the edges of his short beak. "Send her in."

There was the sound of a small scuffle outside before a woman was dragged in, a steady stream of obscenities falling from her mouth. The two guards threw her to the ground ungraciously before turning to march in uniform unison out of the throne room, the large wooden doors shutting behind them.

She pulled herself to her feet, throwing her long hair over her shoulder and glaring up at him, arms folding over her chest as she noticed his wandering eyes sweeping her up and down. Even with a split lip and the slight shade of bruising beginning to form on her right cheekbone, the Emperor could see she was pretty. Not as beautiful as his other prizes but good looking enough that he would receive great pleasure from her standing over him every morning in a skimpy dress with breakfast in her arms.

"I don't appreciate being dragged here against my own will for you to inspect me," she spat and his smile widened.

"Such spirit you possess," he said, rising from his throne and taking her face in a talon-like hand. "A human female will be a rare addition to my castle staff."

"Is that what you do then? Steal woman from their homes and force them to flounce around your palace in little to no clothing?"

"They are my servants-"

"And your prostitutes," she added venomously. His feathered breast rose and fell with an over exaggerated sigh.

"Your words sting my reputation as a fair leader, my beauty," he said mockingly.

"The only reputation you have is being an overweight coward that doesn't have enough brains to tell his beak from his tail feathers." An audible smack rang around the room as he slapped her, his claws leaving four long scratches across her cheek. She didn't cry out or even flinch, simply glared at him as a guard came in to drag her away. The Emperor surged forward to slam the door behind them, his neck feathers bristling as he seethed with anger.

"I'll make her pay," he muttered to himself.

"Sorry, oh high and mighty emperor sir, but I don't think I can allow that."

He spun around quickly to see a strangely dressed human man lounging across his throne, a nonchalant smile on his face.

"Who are you?" the Emperor demanded. "How did you get in here?"

"Oh, I'm no one really," the man replied, easing himself up out of the chair and jumping down the few steps to the marble floor. "And how I got in is of no importance. What you should really be concerned about is what's going to happen to you, my feathered friend."

"Guards! Intruder in the throne room!"

"Oh I wouldn't bother. They've all taken a well-earned holiday."

"My people don't get holidays!" he sputtered indignantly, beak clicking in frustration.

"And I don't see any of your people around here so explain that," the man said with a smirk and an adjustment of his bowtie.

"What are you going to do with me?" the Emperor demanded, his tone scathing. The Doctor scratched the back of his head with a bemused grin.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. We were kind of making up the plan as we went along."

He went silent however as the sound of steadily nearing footsteps assaulted both their ears. The Emperor crowed loudly as a guard rounded the corner, coming to a halt uncertainly at the doorway when he saw the scene in front of him.

"Get him!" he yelled, pointing a clawed finger in the Doctor's direction. He threw his hands up quickly when the guard pulled out a gun. The Emperor's squawking laugh froze in his throat, however, when the guard turned the firearm on him.

"Sorry, mate," Hunter muttered before shooting. The once high and mighty ruler of Hexacore crumpled to the ground in a heap of feathery limbs.

"Can't say I'm particularly sorry to see him go," the Doctor murmured, crouching in front of the body and examining the dull brown plumage that covered the Emperor.

"I was hired to kill him, I had no choice."

"He had a choice long ago that could have changed what happened today," he said quietly, looking up at Hunter with a slightly sad smile. "He made the wrong one and now he's paying for it."

After several moments Nebula came strolling back into the room, nodded once at the still form of the Emperor before tossing the sonic screwdriver back to the Doctor. Hunter turned away from the window he was studying the landscape out of and made a small choking noise in the back of his throat.

"Nebs, what on earth are you wearing," he said, his voice rather strangled as he took in the loose white, gold-trimmed top and matching skirt she wore. The shirt covered up maybe slightly more than a bra and the skirt had a slit up the right side that stopped just below her underwear, so Hunter's scandalised reaction was suitable.

"The Emperor's men forced me into it before the Doctor got rid of them," she said with a raised eyebrow as she looked the unfamiliar man up and down. "Pardon my rudeness, but who are you?"

Hunter's face fell, perhaps more than it did the first time he found out the Doctor and River didn't know him. "Hunter," he mumbled. "My name's Hunter."

"Hunter's from my – or as it turns out – _our_ future," the Doctor said quickly to avoid any confusion. "Exciting isn't it?"

"And slightly confusing," she replied with a giddy smile that mirrored his. "Anyway, back on topic. All the woman that old pervert had locked up are free now."

"Back to their families."

"And back to wearing _clothing_ with their underwear," she muttered grumpily, absentmindedly tugging on the hem of her skirt. Hunter pulled off his tan-coloured trench coat and handed it to her, a small smirk on his face.

"Don't want you catching a cold."

"It's not like Timelords do," she replied but took the coat anyway, flashing him a thankful grin.

"Well, it seems it's mission accomplished," the Doctor said as he rubbed his hands together. "I guess we'll leave the body here for his subjects to attend to, unless you need it?" Hunter shook his head. "Good. Great. Just _lovely_. Shall we be going? We've been away awhile, Nebs; River's probably starting to wonder."

"Of course, of course. Will you be joining us, Hunter sir?"

"If it's no bother to you two."

"Not at all."

"No trouble whatsoever."

And they were off, Nebula taking the lead with Hunter and the Doctor not far behind. The Timelord couldn't help but notice the way Hunter couldn't seem to keep the contented smile off his face as he watched Nebula walking ahead of them at a leisurely pace, or how he went slightly red in the cheeks when she tossed a curious look at him over her shoulder. A wry grin spread across his face.

"You love her," the Doctor said, a statement more than a question. Hunter simply blushed deeper and rubbed the back of his head nervously in confirmation. "Are you two, – in the future of course – you know…"

Hunter shook his head slightly and then a rueful grin spread across his young face. "Any other woman I have no qualms flirting with shamelessly, but her… I doubt she likes me. _Will_ like me. Time streams are so-"

"Wibbly-wobbly," the Doctor finished and they both smirked identical smirks. "I'm really not the best at this whole relationship thing myself so I apologise for the lack of advice."

"You're bloody married."

"Hey, all I have to do is flirt back and it's smooth sailing. I don't think I've ever actually gone sailing. Rather romanticised activity, isn't it? You humans and your labelling of someone's wealth by the size of their boat. Christmas is coming up; maybe I'll buy River a boat. One of those big fancy yachts with the sails and the ropes…"

Hunter smiled to himself as he listened to the other man's babbling, following Nebula through the various rooms and long hallways of the palace before they crept down the creaky wooden stairs of a wine cellar, the many rows of barrels illuminated dimly in the faint light the TARDIS gave off. With the familiar creak of ancient blue doors, they all tumbled inside, Nebula wandering up the stairs and down the hallway to a room somewhere to get changed while Hunter joined the Doctor on the flight deck.

"I vaguely remember at our last meeting that you said I wouldn't see you again for a long while," he said, flicking several switches and turning a handle.

"I lied," Hunter replied easily with a River-ish smile. "I can't tell you everything; gotta keep you on your toes. By the way, where are you?"

"River's roughly seven months pregnant," he replied, examining something on the scanner. He looked back at Hunter for a moment and squinted slightly before sighing rather huffily and turning the screen off. "Where will we be taking you, Hunter my good man?"

"Anywhere you want, really. I'm just along for the ride."

And so, soon after Nebula returned, back in her usual long-sleeved, knee-length dress that looked like it was woven out of stars, Hunter's coat in her arms, they were away once again. Hunter, much to the Doctor and Nebula's surprise, joined the two of them in their merry dance around the console, flicking switches and pulling levers as they navigated to 21st century Cornwall and ate pasties by the grey seaside.

Hunter vortex-manipulated away shortly before the TARDIS landed once again in the colourful back garden of their home where they found a slightly peeved River standing on the back veranda with a hand on her hip. Turns out they left two and a half weeks ago and only the promise of doing all the household chores until the baby arrived and a kiss on the cheek from her husband made River forgive them. She would have forgiven them with just the kiss but she wasn't going to tell them that anytime soon.

* * *

_This chapter gives me the warm fuzzies :3_

_No promises for when the next chapter'll come out, but I'll try my hardest to write it soon. Please reveiw if you liked it!_


	11. Christmas Eve

_Hello! Easter present for you all! Yes, I know it's been like two months and I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse, I'm just really lazy and easily distracted. Thank you for the lovely reviews, favourites and follows. You're all brilliant and I love you!_

_*Doctor Who belongs to the Beebs*_

* * *

Timelords, as I'm sure you already know, are a powerful species; often considered the most powerful, though usually by themselves. When they went to war with an equally powerful race, all hell almost literally broke loose. Imagine looking over a battlefield, the night air alight with explosions and regeneration energy, the fate of two races swaying in the balance as they fought for survival, for domination, for victory. It tore their worlds apart.

Now imagine being the last Timelord left, that lucky one that survived, that dominated, that came out victorious. Imagine spending your whole life running from those you left behind on the battlefield, those doomed to forever relive their final moments in a loop as their planet was destroyed, their screams still piercing in your ear drums. That horrid, dark, pressing _guilt _you feel when everything you seem to touch, every life you interfere in, wastes away and dies. Death would be a gift, no? A relief… but what if you couldn't die?

Immortality, one might think, is the greatest victory; victory over death. You'd never die; never see your life flash before your eyes. Never stop living, the greatest achievement. But what if no one else was immortal? What if you had to live with the thought that everyone you ever meet will die sooner or later. How would you give in, fall in love, build relationships, if you knew you'd someday be holding their lifeless body in your arms. Nobody lives forever, except you.

Now try to imagine accepting that fact; that everybody will die eventually, leaving you alone. Knowing and accepting that everyone's lives will someday slip through your fingers. Now imagine finding someone like you, someone else immortal, who you fall in love with. But the universe is cold and cruel and unforgiving and you've already seen them die. It breaks your hearts. Again.

Your life is lonely. Every hand you find to hold slips from your grip. But then you're given a chance. A slim chance. Another chance at a family. How would you feel? Hopeful? Or hopeless? Do remember that everything you touch seems to die, so why would this baby be any different? Your loved one is happy, giddy with excitement, full of hope. You hide your doubts behind a smile when she's looking, let your face fall into a frown when she's away.

Then imagine another factor thrown in, another chance at happiness; a Timelord. A full-blown, 100% Timelord from the planet you ripped to pieces all those centuries ago. And they _forgive_ you. You can bet your regenerations that gives you hope, enough hope to pull you through this pregnancy because face it; this baby is half _you_. Half immortal. Half lonely god. Except this baby won't be lonely. It has two beings just like it, two hands to hold as it explores the universe. And that baby _will_ explore if it's anything like you.

And if you ever find yourself feeling hopeless, you just duck home and curl up in bed, knowing you'll wake up to stormy green eyes and they'll just smile and say that one thing that somehow always manages to lighten the load on your hearts.

"Hello Sweetie."

"Good morning, Professor Song," the Doctor replied, tightening his arms around her slightly.

"What brings you to my bed so early in the morning?" Her flirtatious remark is met with a grin and a kiss buried in her curls.

"I do believe it's _our_ bed."

"Says the one who sleeps in it once a month. Do you even own pyjamas?"

"Of course I… well no, I don't."

"Hah."

"Oh, shut up."

They lay in silence for several minutes, listening to the thrum of birdsong outside. There was another noise, a whistle that occasionally broke the trilling. The whistle would call and the birds would fall silent, listening to the simple tune before replying with songs of their own.

River pushed herself up on her elbows when she heard a man's laugh under the swell of warbles, an eyebrow pulling into an arch.

"It's only Hunter," the Doctor mumbled into the pillow, already dozing off again.

"Hunter? That man we met-"

"At Liz's palace, yes."

She relaxed back onto the pillow and smiled as he nuzzled into her neck. "Why exactly is Hunter here?"

"We ran into him in Egypt when we were visiting King Djedefre-"

"What, was he sent to kill him?"

"No, no, no. He said he was bored and future me told him to go there."

"Of course."

"Then we hopped into the TARDIS-."

"After you offended someone, I'm guessing."

"What? No, of course not!" River looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and he sighed. "Okay, maybe I did."

"Can't you go anywhere without making enemies?"

"I don't _try_ to."

"I'm sure you don't, my love. You're just easy to dislike when you're showing off."

He made a rather grumbly noise in the back of his throat and her smile widened.

"You're words are highly offensive today," he said moodily, poking her cheek with his nose.

"I think I have the right to be insulting after you left me for a month."

He winced, pressing his forehead to hers as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I thought I was getting better at this."

She reached a hand up to cup his cheek and he let out a sigh, the gust of his breath warming her face.

"I'm sorry, River. I really am."

"It's going to take a long time for me to forgive you," she said sternly, but there was a smile on her lips.

"Will begging help?"

"Oh, always with you, sweetie."

His face stretched into a smirk as he replied. "Please, please, _please_ find it in your heart to forgive me, River dear."

"I'll see what I can do."

They return to their comfortable silence, listening once again to the call of birds outside, the song occasionally broken by Hunter's laughter and Nebula's whistles. River can feel the Doctor dozing off as she strokes a lazy finger along his jaw, repetitively tracing the line of his cheekbone with her thumb. It must have been a very long time since he last slept for him to fall asleep in her arms and she wonders silently at what adventures her two Timelords have gotten up to.

While she doesn't mind being left at home too much, she does mind the large spaces of time between her husband's visits. Nebula stays home quite often, showing a slight preference to reading and talking to River over running and getting shot at. The same couldn't be said about her husband, of course. He's barely able to stay for dinner, let alone several weeks.

She slowly untangles her limbs from his after what feels like half an hour, climbing out from beneath the sheets, careful not to jostle the bed as she places her feet on the floor. She hisses slightly at the cold, reached for a rather fluffy dressing gown as she heads for the door. The Doctor mumbles her name in his sleep and she pauses, bending over slightly to brush his hair back off his face and press a kiss to his forehead.

She takes the stairs slowly, one hand on the railing and the other on her swollen belly. The house seems to have taken on a rather Christmas-y feel overnight, what with the tinsel and wreaths hanging off everything, the overload of fairy lights strung across the walls blinking a steady staccato of holiday cheer.

She pads into the kitchen and walks towards the back door, turning the kettle on as she passes. It snowed last night and it takes her a moment to pick out the huddled forms of Nebula and Hunter amongst the glittering white, Nebula's head thrown back as she whistles. Hunter's lying on his back, his hands under his head, his eyes more focused on Nebula than the multitude of birds soaring above their heads. The sight pulls River face into a smile.

Nebula must have sensed she was there (Probably with that weird mind link thing that Timelords have. River's signal is apparently very weak but they can still sense her) and she turns slightly, throwing a grin over her shoulder. Hunter looks back too and he waves, though his smile seems slightly strained at the sight of her. He's older than the last time they met, maybe early thirties. His cheekbones are more defined, his jawline shaded with a two-day stubble, and his eyes are heavier. Sadder, even. It makes her turn away.

Hunter's sadness doesn't bode well for the future.

She busies herself in making tea, pulling out four mugs before glancing back out the door to see Hunter disappear in a crackle of electricity. She places the fourth mug back.

"Where's he off to?" she asks after Nebula shuts the door behind her. She grabs the milk and sidles up alongside River, pouring into two of the mugs and leaving the other black.

"His own time, I'm guessing. He didn't really say."

"Hmm."

They move around each other quietly, grabbing things for breakfast preparations. Nebula crams as much bread as she can in the toaster before turning back to River, leaning against the counter as her face fell into a frown.

"He was older than every other Hunter the Doctor and I have seen."

"You see him often?"

"We run into him every now and then."

"I've only ever met him once," she said, pulling a carton of eggs from the fridge. "And he definitely wasn't that sad."

Nebula nodded in agreement, before her face considerably brightened. "Merry Christmas Eve-morning, by the way."

The sound of cooking food seemed to reach the Doctor and he wandered down the hallway, rubbing a fist against his eye as he yawned.

"Oh good, you finally had a nap," Nebula remarked amusedly, spinning around River as she placed three plates on the tartan tablecloth. "You were starting to get crabby."

"You make it sound like I'm a grumpy old man," he huffed, ruffling her hair as he grabs his mug from the counter. She batted him away with a spatula.

"You _are_ a grumpy old man."

"Doesn't mean I like admitting it."

"I see you two had fun with the decorations," River remarked, taking a seat in the chair her husband pulled out for her.

"Well, it is Christmas tomorrow."

"And the house was dangerously lacking in holiday cheer."

River smiled into her tea. Nebula turned off the frying pan, scraping a serving of eggs onto the three plates, turning to grab the toast out of the toaster before sitting down.

They talked as they ate, the Doctor giddily recounting their visit to the third moon of Garthrex where the sky was green and the grass was blue and the strange gravity made it rain upwards. Nebula laughed through her own tale, a story of how the two of them accidently shop-lifted from a market stall on Throwannah and the overweight store owner chased them down several streets, his many chins wobbling hilariously as he yelled. They shared stories about Hunter and River rolled her eyes at their insistence that he was just like her, from his green eyes to his insistence with flirting his way through every situation.

The conversation drifted towards more everyday things and the question of how far along she was in her pregnancy came up.

"35 weeks." Nebula dropped her toast and the Doctor choked into his tea. They both stared at her in shock, their eyes moving from her face to her stomach and back to her face again. River would have thought it comical if a tremor of fear wasn't running up her spine.

"A bit over 8 months?" Nebula asked as she bent to retrieve her toast from the floor, her voice several octaves higher than usual.

"Yes, that's about right. Is… is something wrong?"

The two Timelords exchanged a look before the Doctor carefully placed his mug back on the table with a shaking hand. "The average human pregnancy lasts 38-42 weeks…"

"And?"

"Timebabies are slightly more eager to get out into the world, dear. The average Timelord pregnancy lasts 30-33 weeks, so…"

"I'm late," River finished with a fearful expression.

"The baby _is_ part human, dear," he reminded, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. "He might be a bit later than normal."

"But what if something's wrong with him?" she asked, worried tears pricking her eyelids. "We can't go find a Timelord doctor to check."

"There's nothing wrong with him, River," Nebula insisted, her eyebrows pinching together in concern. "You'd know if there was. Maternal instincts or whatever."

"What about Hunter? He was sad when he looked at me. What if it's because he knows what happens to the baby?"

"I doubt he was sad about that," the Doctor muttered, his voice barely loud enough to be heard. He looked up, the sadness in his eyes almost crushing before it faded quickly, noticing the two woman's stares. He smiled before saying slowly, "The baby's fine, River. You have nothing to worry about. He's just a few weeks late, that's all."

She opened her mouth to voice more of her doubts but he shushed her, pulling her into his arms. She rubbed her face against the tweed of his jacket, the familiar scratch against her skin enough to calm her down.

River ignored the sounds of Nebula cleaning up the kitchen and focused on the rise and fall of the Doctor's chest beneath her hand. She felt him pull her knees up as he stood, holding her in his arms as he made his way into the living room. He sat down with a small sigh, carefully arranging his limbs around River's body as she curled into his front.

"You're oddly quiet today," she murmured and he huffed slightly. "You haven't started babbling once."

"I don't _babble_." He frowned at her questioning eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I do."

"I know you do."

He doesn't reply, just continues absentmindedly rubbing circles into her stomach, a smile perking his lips as a small something nudges back.

"See, dear? He's fine. He's probably just enjoying himself too much on that planet you've gone and swallowed."

She snorts, her hand moving to lay over his.

Nebula ambles back downstairs after several hours, the many books of the library no longer holding her interest. She tosses a glance into the living room to see the Doctor and River talking quietly, their bodies a tangle of limbs on the lounge. She smiles, ducking into the kitchen to grab an apple before sitting down on the coffee table in front of the couple.

"We should go somewhere."

"Where exactly?" River questions, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Anywhere," is the Doctor's typical reply and he jumps up, gently pulling River with him. "How about Habadoes where the people are made of glass? Or the twelfth moon of Bernin where everything is blue. Though, we could pay Mozart a visit, haven't seen him in a decade or four. I hear the weather's nice this time of year on Veran, if you call raining for only twenty-three hours of the day nice."

He's babbling again and River smiles, following the pair at her own pace as he practically bounced through the TARDIS doors. She patted the door as she stepped inside, the time machine humming in greeting.

They end up landing on a forest-covered planet, soaring heather-coloured mountains reaching up to the stars, the land swathed in snow. The silence is almost suffocating, only broken by the hoot of an owl or the crunch of earth under the hooves of reindeers, their silhouettes weaving in between the tree trunks. The TARDIS is parked on a high cliff top, the wind whispering around them, tugging hair and flicking coats as they look over the land before them. River's shiver accompanies the vague realisation that she's still in her pyjamas.

Snow begins to fall in large, perfect flakes, large enough that she can see their individual patterns before they hit the ground at her feet. Nebula reaches out a hand, a snowflake landing on her palm before melting against her heat. She hums softly; a song River doesn't recognise but seems to make the Doctor happy. His smile is wide, that goofy sort of grin that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners.

The stars are bright, dusting the dark sky with their sparkle. The planets has three moons and they all shine in varying shades of orange, like a Harvest Moon on Earth, bathing the land in their eerie glow. It's impossibly beautiful.

They spend the next few hours enjoying the night time. Nebula climbs a tree, continuing to hum her song as she goes. The Doctor and River sit on the cold ground after he gives her his coat to wear. He points out constellations and stars and planets he's been to where he's saved someone or other in one of his visits. She listens to the Doctor and Nebula exchange words in Gallifreyan, a hand on her stomach, the baby nudging her every time they talk. The reindeer move closer and closer as they graze on the soft grass that peaks out of the frost covering the earth, raising curious eyes to the strangers. It's peaceful and quiet, the steady silence comforting.

The tranquillity is disturbed, however, when what River thinks is just another nudge from the baby turns into a sharp pain that makes her double over, a sharp breath escaping her lips. She would have laughed at Nebula and the Doctor's identical expressions of shock if a harsh whip of fear didn't curl through her spine.

"River?" her husband barely managed to get out. "The- the baby?

"Yes, you idiot," she hissed. "Of course it's the baby."

He gulped, jumping into action as Nebula dropped slightly less than gracefully from the tree. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and under her knees, lifting her up and pulling her close to his chest.

"I _can_ walk," she muttered indignantly and he shushed her, gesturing to Nebula to open the door.

They rush up the stairs, the Doctor trying his hardest not to jostle her as he takes them two at a time. Nebula leads the way down the corridor, taking two lefts, a right then a left again until they end up in a plain white room that's empty except for the large bed in the centre. He presses a kiss to her forehead when she groans again before placing her as carefully as he can onto the covers. Once he sees that she's comfortable he's back to his usual gangly, awkward self as he spins around the room slightly, running a hand through his hair. He adjusts his bowties, his expression grim.

"Alright, Nebula. We're going to deliver a baby."

"_What_?" both women say at the same time and he waves their concerns down.

"You don't bloody know how to deliver a baby," Nebula hisses and he turns to glare.

"And you're no midwife. Equal grounds!"

"We _can't_."

"Come on, Nebs, believe in yourself and whatever other rubbish people spout these days."

"You're hopeless. You couldn't tell an umbilical cord from an elbow."

"Hey! You think I haven't been researching?"

"You know what to do?"

"In theory."

"Oh for god's sake, just get it over with!" River spits at the bickering pair when another shard of pain spears through her. "I don't care if you have to cut me open with a rusty knife, just get the baby out of me!"

Identical winces are exchanged before the two Timelords quite literally jump into action. It's a quick delivery and I won't dwell on the gory bits. It's a boy, just like River predicted, his two hearts sounding with a healthy four tone beat. After a quick scan from the TARDIS they identify him as being mostly Timelord, the rest all human. A quiet falls over them as River curls up by her husband's side and he pecks a kiss to the top of her head.

The silence is broken, however, when a clock chimes somewhere deep in the TARDIS. The baby's eyes fly open and he stares up at the smiling face of his father, startled by the sudden noise.

"Merry Christmas," Nebula says quietly from her cross-legged perch on the end of the bed after the clock's twelfth and final gong. The Doctor's eyes swing up at her words, his brow furrowing as several things in his head click into place. He glances down at his son in his arms as the baby stares back, his sleepy green eyes the same colour as River's. His wife runs a hand through her son's hair, gently ruffling his dark brown curls.

And when River murmurs a sleepy "What should we name him?" he blinks, a smile of giddy understanding spreading across his face.

"Hunter," he replies. "Hunter Kazran Song."

* * *

_Woohoo! I know you've all probably guessed who Hunter was before now, I wasn't very sneaky about it._

_Please leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter!_


	12. Sepia Glow

_Salutations! Yes, I'm a horrible person and yes, it's been a while but never fear; the story continues!_

_I never really wrote this to be a full blown chapter-by-chapter account of events, more like bits and pieces of the story that you can piece together yourself. The rest of the story will continue like that, with tiny mouthfuls of words that barely count as chapters at all, but, if I continue writing how I am, I should be able to get up one or two chapters a week for an undetermined amount of time._

_Apologies aside, here's a snippet for you._

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"Hunter Kazran Song?"

"Indeed."

"Are you saying that the Hunter we've been adventuring with is your son?"

"Yes, my son from the future. How exciting!"

"But how did you know it was him?"

The Doctor looked up from the newspaper in front of him, smiling at Nebula over his cup of tea. Maybe it was the weather or the date or the residual joy of gaining a child, but everything seemed so much brighter that day. The sun was shining through the window with golden warmth, covering everything with a sepia glow and setting Nebula's regeneration yellow eyes sparkling.

"Lucky guess?"

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Alright then," he huffed. "It was probably the date of his birth."

"Christmas Eve?"

"Yes! He said a long while ago - well, in my past and his future - that that was his birthday."

"Coincidences _do_ exist."

"Not in my experience."

"And you've a lot of it."

"Exactly!"

Nebula's face finally gave in and broke into a grin and the room seemed to rise several increments in brightness.

They sat together in companionable silence for a long while, him studying the glittering snow outside the window and her turning her eyes back to the heavy book on her lap. It was a lazy sort of day, the kind where you find yourself staring at dust motes dancing in a sun ray for hours, and the Timelords seemed to be content in sitting in front of the fire, blankets covering their laps and talking in low tones. Maybe when River came down from putting the baby to sleep they'd hop in the TARDIS and go somewhere warm or eat pastries at a cafe in France, but that would be all. No outer space adventures today.

Today they were happy to just lounge around and bask in the sepia glow of a new future.

* * *

_Told you it was short. Please review if you have the time, your kind words make me explode with joy._


	13. Winter Blooms

_Happy Saturday, my sweets! A tib-bit of story, just for you._

* * *

River wandered down the hallway, blinking sleep from her eyes as she pulled on a dressing gown. It was a crisp winter morning, with a weary sun bleeding through dull, grey clouds overhead, dimly shining on the dark green grass that grew in stark contrast to the pale snow still covering the ground in places.

The garden was dotted with colour even in such cold weather, the various winter-growing flowers splashes of brightness amongst the frost and the frozen; the bowing heads of pristine, white snowdrops, the blushing pink of Christmas roses, the raucous red stars of amaryllis, or the sunglow yellow of the witch hazel that the Doctor would sometimes twist into crowns, gracing his head as he darted around the yard in brutal snowball fights with Nebula.

The house too was dotted with evidence of the bright life outside the frosted glass of the windows. Vases and jars were filled with the winter blooms, adorning every windowsill and end table. River would even often find Hunter asleep in his cot with a flower tucked behind his ear or gripped in his chubby fists. Where winter brought the smell of spices and roasting meat to some houses, it brought the fragrant smell of silky petals and fresh-picked buds to the brick manor house with the blue door.

River smiled as she passed the living room, corners of her eyes crinkling at the sight of the Doctor's sleeping form splayed across the lounge, one hand hanging off the edge to graze the carpeted floor and the other rested on tiny Hunter's back, the baby curled up on his chest. They painted a pretty picture in the soft glow of sunshine and River found a sudden urge to capture the moment before the sun moved behind a cloud and her husband stirred awake.

So she did, - after rummaging through a drawer and triumphantly holding up a small digital camera - quickly turning to the two on the lounge to snap a picture. She carefully placed the camera back in the drawer, moving closer to the lounge so to reach a hand down, softly stroking her baby's cheek before moving to push the hair back off her husband's forehead. They both grumbled in their sleep and her smile widened.

* * *

_Please review if you have the time!_


	14. Puzzles and Prizes

"He's got your eyes."

River smiled down at the baby in her lap as her husband sat down beside her. Hunter blinked his green eyes up at his father, tiny face breaking into a gummy grin when the Doctor tapped him lightly on the nose.

"And your hair," she pointed out.

"But your curls." There was a sweet fondness in his tone and a smile on his face as her gaze drifted up to study his angular profile, the light casting a halo of white around his head. He gave her a long searching look, eyes ever curious, before turning them back to the grabby hands of the demanding baby.

"Don't you find it strange, knowing what he'll be like when he's older?" River asked as the Doctor lifted Hunter into his arms, raising him in the air as his laughter joined the baby's bubbling giggles.

"Not at all," he replied happily. "It's just like looking at the picture on the box to know what your puzzle should look like."

"I don't know if I like you treating our son like a puzzle for you to solve."

"Why? It's how I treated you."

"Really? I more thought of you as a stuffed animal hanging at a carnival store."

"A prize?"

"The biggest one, that you have to work hardest for," she answered and his expression softened.

"How did you win the game?"

"I became River Song." He smiled ruefully.

"River Song's just a name."

"The name of the woman you love."

"The woman I love goes by many names."

"And which one do you call her?"

"The one she chose to use."

"You are being extremely difficult," she said sharply and he grinned.

"Maybe you should have gone for one of the smaller prizes."

"Too late now."

"Of course not. Time travel, you know," he threw back, the cocky quirk of his lips belying the sadness in his eyes. She gave him a gentle smile.

"Wouldn't do me much good, I already blew all my money on the Timelord."

"And you don't regret it?"

"Never have."

"And never will?"

"Sweetie," she murmured, her tone admonishing. "I'd only come to regret it if you stopped loving me."

"Oh," he said on an exhale and seemed to deflate once the word was out. He looked up, eyes for once looking young as he quietly said, "Never, River. Never."

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_Please review if you can!_


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